In autumn, the days become shorter and darker, which hits many people’s mood. However, a temporarily depressed mood is part of life and is not yet depression in the medical sense. An “autumn-winter depression” is therefore very rare. Depressive disorders occur throughout the year and increase only insignificantly overall in fall and winter. Only “seasonal affective disorder” (SAD), a rather rare subtype of depressive illness, occurs regularly during these seasons. What symptoms distinguish the “winter blues” from winter depression, when should you see a doctor, and how is SAD treated?
SAD: seasonal affective disorder
“Seasonal Dependent Depression” refers to a subtype of depressive illness that occurs regularly at a certain time of the year. It usually occurs in the fall or winter, but seasonal dependent depression is also possible in the summer. The focus of this form of depression is the experience of lack of energy and decreased drive, but it also includes many other symptoms that are usually associated with depressive illness, such as
- A depressed mood
- Feelings of guilt
- Joylessness
- Listlessness
Unlike all other forms of depression, however, winter depression is not accompanied by loss of appetite and weight loss. On the contrary, sufferers experience cravings for carbohydrate foods, such as sweets, and thus tend to gain weight rather than lose it. Patients suffering from this form of depression also feel an increased need for sleep, rather than persistent sleep disturbances like other depressed sufferers.
Autumn and winter depression: Light plays a role
Lack of natural daylight and reduced light intensity during the darker months could be responsible for fall and winter depression. Shortened exposure to sunlight could also be a trigger. The lack of light during the darker months triggers certain biochemical changes in the brain that could be partly responsible for depression. Light affects the production of the body’s own hormone melantonin, which, among other things, influences the body’s sleep and wake rhythms. During the darker half of the year, more melatonin is produced, which could cause some people to feel increasingly listless and sleepy. The production of the neurotransmitter serotonin is also indirectly influenced by light.
Seasonal depression: when to see a doctor?
For the layperson, it is difficult to tell whether he or she is suffering from Seasonal Dependent Depression or whether it is just an intermittent moodiness. Basically, if the symptoms persist over a period of several weeks, a doctor should be consulted. This can be the family doctor if there is a relationship of trust with him. Experts in depression are specialists in psychiatry and psychotherapists. As a first check, those affected can take a self-test on the Internet at the Depression Competence Network.
What to do about autumn and winter depression?
In severe cases, seasonal depression is treated in the same way as all other forms of depression, namely with the help of antidepressant medication and/or psychotherapy. However, patients suffering from this form of depression often additionally benefit from targeted light therapy. By using very bright light sources to compensate for this lack of light, the depressive symptoms are attempted to subside. Light sources with 10,000 lux are usually used. This is quite effective for many patients, but often light therapy alone is not sufficient to treat depression. Sitting down in front of one’s desk lamp is of no use at all; the light output achieved with conventional lamps is far too low. A long walk in the autumn sun, on the other hand, is ideal; even on a gloomy November day, sufferers get enough lux outside during the day. A good accompanying effect is also fresh air and exercise, which can have an additional positive effect. Expensive light lamps are therefore not necessary. However, those who do not have time for walks can start light therapy on an outpatient basis in some psychiatric practices. In this way, the rather high acquisition costs for a special lamp are not necessary. In any case, light therapy should be discussed with the doctor.
Depressed mood does not require therapy
Unlike depressive illness, mild depressed mood does not require treatment. This is also known in medicine as subsyndromal SAD, or colloquially as “winter blues”. Those affected can do a few things themselves to improve their mood: Exercise, preferably regularly in the fresh air, and a balanced diet are recommended. Even on an overcast winter day, light conditions of 1,000 to 3,000 lux prevail outside, while indoors the maximum is 500 lux. It is also important not to withdraw too much, but to maintain social contacts even in the dark season. Test: do you suffer from depression?