Seasonal depression and Christmas - how does it correlate?

I’m sure that many of you readers have a somewhat resentment with daylight saving time, and some of you out there having a love-hate relationship with having sunsets at three in the afternoon (if you’re a winter person, for some reason). Although the dark may be discouraging, it may affect people more than some of you may expect. Enter Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, better known as seasonal depression, or abbreviated as SAD, is a type of depression that appears and disappears as seasons change. Its symptoms are the most prominent during winter for the majority, but will vary for every individual during different seasons. Symptoms include low mood, longer sleeping periods, difficulty concentrating, feeling lethargic and sleepy during the entire day, to some extent individuals may feel despair or guilt as well. According to statistics, seasonal depression affects 5% of the entire population, affecting even more for people with preexisting mental illnesses, with 10% to 20% of individuals with clinical depression, and 25% of people with bipolar disorder. The main causation of SAD is the disruption of the circadian rhythm due to the lack of sunlight during daytime, lowering the level of serotonin created - a hormone that affects our moods - that leads to symptoms similar to depression. It also may be possible that some people are more vulnerable to SAD due to their genetic makeup and hereditary reasons. 

SAD can majorly affect people’s day to day lives, work and even relationships, and symptoms can increase significantly during Christmas. This is due to the feeling of witnessing others experiencing fun and joy during the holidays, such as family gatherings, attending parties and shopping with friends. However, not feeling the same happiness can be shameful to some people, and often lead to self isolation for many individuals suffering from clinical depression or SAD. The expectation of spending the season with loved ones, close family and friends can be overwhelming, and guilty for people if not fulfilled, causing anxiety for not feeling fulfilled during a time meant for celebration. Adding on external factors for minorities such as poverty, inability to keep up with the cost of living crisis, inability to purchase necessities along with gifts and estranged relationships, can be contributing to SAD symptoms as well. Some individuals may feel insecure and avoid confronting difficult relationships during meetups, caused by reasons like pointed remarks from distant relatives that may contribute to future inability to show up at gatherings, furthermore isolating themselves. 

A few solutions for help lessening symptoms of SAD or depression during the winter seasons can consist of clinical and medicinal help, while some may find effective ways dealing with lifestyle changes. There are a range of clinical treatments available for helping with SAD, such as light therapy, where the patient can purchase a special lamp, called a light box, to stimulate extra sunlight they didn’t receive during daytime, and traditional talking therapies. Some may even be prescribed antidepressant medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, better known as SSRIs. People may even try to take up new hobbies to cope with loneliness.