Seasonal
Affective Disorder
As fall transitions to winter in Michigan, there are many abrupt
changes. Suddenly, it gets dark at 5 o'clock, and the air has the familiar
chill to it.
According to the Mayo Clinic, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is
a type of
depression that is related to changes in seasons.
“You have low mood all the time, kind of foggy thinking, and you
might eat more at night time, which is a direct correlation to low serotonin,”
Ann Arbor therapist Lisa Puceu said.
With college students already dealing with high levels of
stress, as well as the major adjustments of being on your own, college students
can sometimes realize for the first time that they suffer from SAD.
Jillian Beld, a sophomore at Grand Rapids Community College, has
a father who suffers from bipolar disorder as well as SAD. When the seasons
begin to change, it triggers many of his episodes.
“In the winter when it starts to get dark earlier is when I start
to see him become depressed. The amount of sunlight really affects my dad. In
the summer when the days are longer, he starts to get hypomanic,” Beld said.
Puceu said that in her experience, the seasonal changes can have a
big effect on her patients.
“There’s a link between bipolar and major depression and how they
respond to the seasons. Typically, we will see a pattern of people becoming
worse in the winter,” Puceu said.
Beld said that on top of how SAD and bipolar affects her dad, it
also brings negative consequences for her whole family.
“When he’s down, it’s like a black cloud is over the house. Seeing
him depressed makes everyone around him a little depressed,” Beld said.
Beld’s father is a single dad of three children. Beld said that
when her dad is struggling, much of the load from around the house falls onto
her shoulders.
“I do probably all of the work around the house, especially when
he is depressed. I clean, do laundry, feed the pets and help get groceries.
When he’s manic he will do what needs to get done, but has trouble finishing
what he starts because his mind is running a mile a minute,” Beld said.
Kelle Sajdak is a counselor at the Michigan State University
Counseling Center. Sajdak said that one of the best ways to deal with SAD is by
taking care of yourself.
“In the counseling center, we put an emphasis
on the importance of taking care of yourself. Make sure you’re eating healthy,
getting enough sleep, taking time to do some stress relief, whether that’s in
the form of short naps, exercise, or reading a book,” Sajdak said.
The symptoms of SAD are tiredness and loss of energy, an increased need
for sleep, craving of carbohydrates, weight gain, a general disinterest in
socializing, an overall sense of hopelessness, unhappiness, and irritability,
Sajdak said.
Sajdak said that it is important to note that
many college students are already feeling these symptoms due to the high
demands of school. If you notice these symptoms tend to get worse when fall or
winter comes around, you may be suffering from SAD.
Sajdak said
according to information that she found on Psychologytoday.com, SAD is
estimated to affect 10 million Americans. Another 10 percent to 20 percent may
have a mild form of SAD. SAD is more common in women than in men, and typically
begins around age 20.
Living in a
northern state like Michigan can raise your chance of suffering from SAD
significantly, Puceu said.
“Michigan is going to have high instances of it, California is not.
In places like Michigan you’re going to have a lot more cases,” Puceu said.
Puceu said
that there are many different ways that you can deal with SAD. A number of
different supplements have been proven to be effective, and even tanning booths
can sometimes give you the boost that you need.
“Tanning booths, I’m not a
big proponent of those because they cause skin cancer, but if you’re in a desperate
situation, you can go to a tanning booth and it will help quite a bit with
SAD,” Puceu said.
On top of an occasional tanning
booth visit and taking supplements, Puceu emphasized the importance of getting
outside as much as possible, especially in the winter.
“Get as much sunlight as possible.
Put on all of your winter clothes and just get outside when there is any kind
of sun. You just want to get outside as much as possible,” Puceu said.
Puceu said that SAD could affect
pretty much every facet of your life if left untreated.
“In terms of how it affects the rest of your life, there is not an
area that it doesn’t impact. It can impact your sex drive, it can impact your
desire to socialize, your thinking can get messed up and foggy, your sleep can
get messed up, eating patterns can change, it touches everything,” Puceu said.
Contact
List
- Jillian Beld:
- Phone: (260)
415-4698
- Lisa Puceu:
- Phone: (734)
904-2122
- Kelle Sajdak:
- Phone: (517)
355-8270
- Email: sajdakke@msu.edu
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INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS: GREAT JOB OF
REPORTING AND STRUCTURING THE STORY. THE ONLY WEAKNESSES I WOULD NOTE IS GOING
FOR THE BARE MINIMUM NUMBER OF SOURCES IS NOT ADVISABLE; I WOULD GO FOR MANY
MORE AND THEN USE THE BEST, MOST REPRESENTATIVE ONES. STILL, VERY NICE WORK
HERE.
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