What Exactly Does It Mean to Have ‘High-Functioning’ Depression? So why canât you? The kids are out of school. âMy parents always thought it was because I was bored or wasn't kept busy,â she says. doi: 10.1155/2015/178564. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. Social contact is important for your mental health year-round, and summer can be a particularly grueling time to deal with loneliness or isolation. Additionally, people prone to winter SAD who live in places that are already hot and humid, but who typically enjoy the summer, might lose their tolerance for the season as it becomes more extreme. If you are dealing with the anniversary of losing a loved one, then see if one of these activities can commemorate them in some way. Summer is a lethargic season and the call of staying inside in front of your A/C can be so, so seductive. She was too depressed to leave the house. so commonly suggested to ease depression symptoms, underlying health issues that cause light sensitivity, A Shout Out to Anyone Who Deals With Depression in the Summer. Chloe received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York. Winterâs sharp air, quiet solace, and protection of darkness bring with it a sense of vitality, she says. Reminding yourself, “OK, this is something real that happens to me,” can offer solace and validation. SAD typically causes depression as the days get shorter and colder. Most notable is exposure to too much sunlight in the summer months which leads to changes in the body’s internal clock or circadian rhythm. I will swim in the morning on these days. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Working together, you can create a treatment plan that addresses your needs. You disappear or want to. If you have body issues, work on being more body positive. And there’s a good chance they’re following your line of thinking and waiting for you to reach out to them for the same reason. Like Dr. Rosenthal said, depression is depression no matter when you’re dealing with it, and a lot of the time, you can benefit tremendously by treating depression with the help of a professional, whether that’s seeing a therapist, talking to a doctor about medication, or both. It can be really helpful to take some time to consider what your ideal summer actually looks like and then find others who feel the same way, says Winch. Without one, I’m in trouble. If your issues are financial, make a plan to save in the months approaching the summer. These fluctuating triggers make a manageable treatment for summer SAD elusive. The important difference between SAD and other types of depression is that it follows a seasonal pattern, meaning that symptoms are present in certain months (in this case, summer) but completely absent in others. You get the point. Copyright © 1995-2020 Psych Central. When the sun’s out and everyone is having fun, the heavy blanket of depression can feel like it’s downright mocking me. Differences between feeling depressed and feeling blue. Though summertime is often a time of fun and excitement for many people, the summer blues are common to many others, as well. Although the reasons why aren’t clear, Dr. Rosenthal says it possibly comes from problems with the body’s ability to maintain homeostasis. As tempting as it is to isolate during the summer, forcing yourself to be around people — even if you don’t join the discussion — is going to assist your mood and especially the ruminations that get your into trouble. Alrighty, so now that we have a full list of what is contributing to our depression, what do we do about it? Some of the more common symptoms include: There have been many theories as to why people experience depression during the summer months. But about 10% of people with SAD get it in the reverse — the onset of summer triggers their depression symptoms. Accept their offers to hang out and resist the urge to stay home alone feeling blue. On the YouTube lyric video, she stated that she isn’t glorifying depression Doing these things alone might feel weird at first, but for a lot of people, it gets easier, even enjoyable. Diurnal Mood Variation or "Morning Depression", The Connection Between Menopause and Depression, Understanding Your Atypical Depression Symptoms, 7 Facts Everyone Should Know About Depression, How to Spot Signs of Depressive Disorders in Children, Daily Tips for a Healthy Mind to Your Inbox, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline, body’s internal clock or circadian rhythm, https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression/Major-Depressive-Disorder-with-a-Seasonal-Pattern, https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/depression-fda-approved-medications-may-help, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20364651, Poor sleeping and sleeping less (insomnia), It occurs four times more often in women than in men, The age of onset is estimated to be between 18 and 30 years old, Family history of other types of mood disorders. Stay away from dark clothes. Block, MD, Verywell Mind uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Thank you for your support of Psych Central! “If you have an idea of what might make you feel better, like seeing friends or going outside, but you’re just not able to motivate yourself, it’s probably a good idea to speak to someone,” he says. But either way, it’s worth seeing if addressing the issue will help your symptoms. If you have children in grade school, you’re suddenly faced with the prospect of keeping them occupied all day, every day. Though summer SAD has been on doctorsâ radars for nearly 40 years, it remains less clearly understood. Unlike fall and winter SAD -- which typically presents with low energy, pervasive sadness, daytime tiredness, and decreased activity -- individuals who experience SAD in the summer, often present with the opposite symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. And in so doing, being around the pool won’t remind me as much of the days when I sat slumped over in the baby pool section, unable to carry out a conversation with anyone. Still, in the U.S., its prevalence does appear to wax and wane slightly along latitudes, like winter SAD, though less dramatically so. Laura Price Steele, a 33-year-old based in Wilmington, North Carolina, who lives with summer depression, says she feels interminably out of sync with everyone all year. Something as simple as taking a day off of work to have lunch with a friend or chill out with a novel at home can be incentive to get through a few weeks. Though there hasn't been a ton of research on the causes of summer-onset SAD specifically, heat is an obvious suspect when considering contributing factors. People with summer SAD manage their depression in some expected ways, such as talk therapy, medication, and pulling back from difficult activities like travel. Of course, it’s worth noting that this will require some experimentation—there’s no guaranteeing that light sensitivity is what’s causing you trouble. âWhereas the winter SAD area has really taken off in research, there are not many people carrying the torch out there, studying the [summer] variant of this,â says Kelly Rohan, director of clinical training at the University of Vermont and a psychologist who has been studying seasonal affective disorder since 1993. She focuses on relationship issues, stress management, and career coaching. I do this during the … The heat. They think, ‘When summer comes, I’ll do all these things and have all these experiences!’ and when that doesn’t materialize, they feel worse.”. In my case, realizing that my depression doesn’t take a summer vacation just makes everything worse. All rights reserved. Many cities offer free and fun events downtown during the summer. “Summer Depression” is a song released by Girl in Red, initially on Soundcloud, on 16 February 2018. Of the few studies about summer SAD, most are confined to the 1990s and early 2000s, and they havenât been updated or explored since. % of people told us that this article helped them. If you’ve had depression before, you probably know that having a reliable routine is often key to staving off symptoms. With fewer studies comes less institutional knowledge, so women who bring their symptoms to doctors are often incorrectly written off as suffering from low self-esteem and body image issues triggered by the summer uniform of shorts and bathing suits. Try something that would be so simple that you know it would definitely be within your realm of ability. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Schoolâs out. Every year, despite knowing better, I’m surprised that my depression doesn’t magically disappear in the summer. But darn it, you are miserable in the oppressive heat, your kids are home for 90 consecutive days, and you are don’t have the stamina to pretend you are giddy that summer has arrived. A lot of it has to do with the expectation that summer will basically “fix” everything, Guy Winch, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and author of Emotional First Aid, tells SELF. A 1990 study showed that 9.7 percent of people in Nashua, New Hampshire, experienced winter SAD, while only 0.5 percent reported summer SAD symptoms. There are body positive blogs out there as well as a body positive community. Seasonal depression is a mood disorder that happens every year at the same time. Consider getting a part time job if there are certain things that you must pay for, like summer daycare. They will go to this camp during this week. Do fun things with friends or take a memorable trip. Turns out it’s completely normal to experience summertime sadness that can manifest in a number of ways. Your medical provider may need to adjust dosage or change medications during treatment. Nobody can understand why you would hate the summer,â Flores says. Last summer, Cristina Flores planned to spend two weeks on a road trip through the Midwest, weaving her car along Ohioâs shoreline into the plains of Iowa and beyond. Melrose S. Seasonal affective disorder: An overview of assessment and treatment approaches. Without a wealth of research, it’s kind of a “the chicken or the egg” type of dilemma—you might feel depressed because of your light sensitivity, or you might be sensitive to light because of your depression. Being open and honest about how you’re feeling can help relieve some of the stress you may be experiencing. “It’s very likely that for some people dealing with summer depression, one or more of these systems isn’t working the way that it should,” says Dr. Rosenthal. The hallmark of depression, in many cases, is actually a sense of helplessness. Take some unnecessary tasks off of your plate if you are feeling overwhelmed and work on prioritizing tasks or activities. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 11,012 times. By using Verywell Mind, you accept our, Factors That Could Increase Your Risk of Depression, What You Need to Know About the DSM-5 Updates on Depression, Seek Treatment With the 7 Best Online Help Resources for Depression, 8 Ways to Improve Your Mood When Living With Depression, COVID-19 and Seasonal Affective Disorder: How This Year Is Different, 7 Types of Depression You May Not Know About, Buying the Right Light Box for Seasonal Affective Disorder, Here's What People With High-Functioning Depression Want You to Know.
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