How to avoid seasonal depression

This is an automatically translated article.

1. Manifestations of Seasonal Depression

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a depression associated with the change of seasons from late autumn to winter every year - when the sun is not much, the weather is gloomy, cold. ,... The symptoms of depression usually manifest in late autumn, last for several months in the winter, draining our energy and making us feel sad and moody. The initial symptoms are usually mild and worsen by mid-to-late winter.
Besides, there is also a theory that too much sunlight in the summer also causes reverse seasonal depression - Summer SAD because it affects the production of melatonin.
Manifestations of seasonal depression include:
Feelings of sadness throughout the day, almost all days; lack of interest in activities you previously enjoyed; Feeling without energy or strength; Having sleep problems: Sleeping a lot or having trouble sleeping ; Patient has some changes in eating and drinking, weight: Loss of appetite, eating a lot, gaining or losing weight,...; Feeling lethargic, sluggish, not agile, possibly excitable; difficulty concentrating at work; Feeling pessimistic, hopeless, guilty; Having thoughts about death by suicide. Seasonal depression, if left untreated, can lead to a number of symptoms that affect the patient's quality of life such as:
Narrowing of social relationships; Impact on work and study; Causing the patient to abuse stimulants; Leads to mental disorders such as eating disorders, anxiety disorders; Having suicidal thoughts or behavior.

2. Causes of Seasonal Depression

Currently, the exact cause of weather depression is still unknown. However, experts have identified several factors that play a role in this depression, which are:
Biological clock: The decrease in sunlight levels during the fall and winter is one of the causes. cause of seasonal depression. Reducing light can affect the body's biological clock, leading to feelings of boredom; Decreased serotonin: The neurotransmitter serotonin can affect emotions. Reducing light intensity in winter can also reduce serotonin and cause depression; Decrease in melatonin: Seasonal changes can throw off the balance of melatonin levels in the body. This is an important hormone for the regulation of sleep and emotions of each person. Factors that increase the risk of seasonal depression include:
Women are more likely to face this condition than men; Young people have a higher rate of weather depression than older people; Family history: If someone in your family has this condition, you are also at risk; If you have depression or bipolar disorder, symptoms are often worse in the fall and winter; Living far from the equator: Seasonal depression is common in people who live far from the equator. This is explained by the decrease in light in winter and prolonged daylight in the summer months.

3. How is seasonal depression treated?

Early treatment of seasonal depression will help prevent it from getting worse. The treatment usually depends on the symptoms of the disease, the comorbidities (such as depression, bipolar disorder),... The doctor will have appropriate indications for each patient. Some common treatment options are:
Use of bupropion : A drug approved for the prevention and treatment of seasonal depression . Use antidepressants to treat if the disease is more advanced; Use light therapy: In winter when the light is reduced, changing the human biological clock will cause emotional changes. With enough light, people can fight depression. Therefore, many patients are prescribed treatment with a light source about 20 times stronger than the light in the room, shining indirectly into the eyes at a distance of 0.7m for 10-15 minutes/day, then increasing up to 30 - 45 minutes/day depending on the patient's response to treatment. This light therapy should be continued until the end of spring - when natural light returns; Psychotherapy: Psychologists will help patients identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors, find healthy ways to deal with depression, and manage stress. better,...; Other methods: Vitamin D supplementation (because it is theorized that the cause of seasonal depression is vitamin D deficiency), self-care, meditation (helps the patient overcome negative emotions), .. What to do:
Adhere to the treatment plan: If the doctor prescribes medication or light therapy, the patient should strictly follow the instructions. If there are no signs of improvement, the patient should notify the doctor; Take care of yourself: Patients should maintain a balanced diet, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, avoid stress and reduce the effects of stress by talking with a counselor, psychotherapist ; Plan ahead: You should have a plan in place in case your symptoms of seasonal depression get worse. If you see signs of a more serious illness, you can think about working more actively, avoiding excessive leisure; Have an early treatment plan: talk to your doctor about a preventive treatment plan. For example, if you find that your symptoms of seasonal depression usually begin around October, you can recommend treatment from September. What to avoid:
Isolate yourself: If you're alone , depressive symptoms will often be more severe. So even if you don't feel like going out or socializing with others, you should still try to stay connected with your friends and family; Use of alcohol or drugs: These substances can make depression worse and have bad interactions that affect the effectiveness of antidepressants.

4. How to prevent seasonal depression?

To prevent seasonal depression, each person should:
4.1 Make an action plan, go out more When the season of moodiness and depression is approaching, you should quickly set up a schedule for the things you must do. do during the day. Besides, you can spend a lot of time going out every day, even when the weather is overcast, there is no sunshine. Daylight has the effect of improving mood. If it's too cold outside, you can draw the curtains and sit near the window to let the sunlight in.
Also, it's a good idea to use a 10,000 lux light box as autumn begins, even if you haven't noticed any signs of depression yet. At the same time, you can install more skylights to bring more light into the room.
4.2 Eat enough nutrients, exercise regularly You should have a balanced diet to provide adequate energy for the body. You should eat lean protein rich foods and vegetables. In addition, you should exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week because physical exercise helps reduce anxiety and stress by releasing dopamine and serotonin - two substances that make people feel happy. At the same time, the patient needs to get enough rest, get enough sleep and consult a doctor to have an appropriate lifestyle and treatment regimen.
4.3 Don't think about sad things When you are depressed, the brain's tendency is to think about how many sad things, personal flaws, etc. Meanwhile, remembering happy moments helps to increase the amount of sadness. serotonin in the brain. Therefore, if dark thoughts appear, you should think of something happy immediately. The more often you practice this, the more balanced and peaceful you will be.
4.4 Other measures Some other measures to help prevent seasonal depression include:
Maintain work on schedule: You should stick to the outlined schedule to focus more on work, avoid minutes too free to think about anything but sadness; Listen to happy music: According to psychologists, you should listen to music with happy melodies to help your brain cheer up and avoid boredom; Write down the bright things: Every day, you can journal about 3-4 things you feel most satisfied with about yourself, things you are most grateful for, most desired,... That helps you more confidence, less sense of brain illusion, low self-esteem; Avoid the germs that trigger depression: There are activities that seem to be fun but end up making people more sad, that is drinking. Therefore, you should stay away from chaotic parties to avoid recurrent depression; Practice calmness and concentration: The best way is to meditate. Meditation helps to stop scattered thoughts, rearrange the thoughts in the head, help the body become more stable, the mind clearer. Seasonal depression is completely preventable and treatable if you follow these guidelines. Positive thinking, positive action is the perfect therapy to stay away from this situation.
Follow Vinmec International General Hospital website to get more health, nutrition and beauty information to protect the health of yourself and your loved ones in your family.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.