Your Mood and the Seasonal Change

Written by: Caitlin Werner, LMHC

Have you ever heard the statistic that violent crime goes up when ice cream sales increase? Though there is no correlation between the two, both rise due to warmer weather. Seasons and the weather can impact our moods and behaviors without us even realizing. Have you experienced a noticeable change in mood when the weather warms up, or when the days stay sunnier longer? Do you notice your irritability increases as the weather cools off?

Noticing a lack of motivation, increase amount of sadness, and difficulty motivating yourself when the weather becomes colder and the days shorten can be symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD can occur during the spring and summer seasonal changes, however is most common during the autumn and winter. Studies, such as the article Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Overview of Assessment and Treatment Approaches find that young women who live further away from the equator are most vulnerable to SAD. Specifically, 1% of people living in Florida experience SAD, while 9% in Alaska experience SAD. Additionally, those with families with a history of Bipolar Disorder, depression, or have experienced SAD themselves experience increased chances of developing SAD individually. Approximately 15% of Canadians experience mood instability in the winter, with around 2 to 6% experiencing SAD. 

What is SAD exactly? It is classified as a recurrent Major Depressive Disorder that occurs within a specific window repetitively several times. For example, someone may begin experiencing symptoms beginning every October and finding symptoms decrease every March. It can occur on a spectrum of severity, and some refer to milder cases as “the winter blues.” It is believed people who spend increasing time indoors during the winter months begin to develop lower amounts of serotonin and higher amounts of melatonin.  According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of SAD include, 

  • Feeling listless, sad or down most of the day, nearly every day

  • Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed

  • Having low energy and feeling sluggish

  • Having problems with sleeping too much

  • Experiencing carbohydrate cravings, overeating and weight gain

  • Having difficulty concentrating

  • Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty

  • Having thoughts of not wanting to live

  • Oversleeping

  • Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates

  • Weight gain

  • Trouble sleeping (insomnia)

  • Poor appetite

  • Weight loss

  • Agitation or anxiety

  • Increased irritability

Though SAD is often associated with winter, summer can cause people to feel uncomfortable and irritable, as well as experiencing heightened anxiety. Additionally, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, substance abuse can also increase in the warmer weather and could be exacerbated by increased social activity. As mentioned before, several studies have shown an increase of violent, person on person crime in the summer (though this continues to be studied) due to the hypothesized increase of irritability that heat may bring. 

If you notice you are experiencing SAD, what can you do? There are several options for treatment. Medications such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s) have been found to be useful for those who experience depressive symptoms, and have been utilized effectively in those with SAD. Light therapy, which is the use of bright light that mimics the effect of the sun, can also provide relief to those who suffer from SAD and provide increased amounts of Vitamin D, which has been found to be correlated with serotonin development. Speaking of Vitamin D, oral supplements can be helpful to decrease symptomology of SAD. Lastly, counseling, particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, has been found to be successful with those who experience SAD symptomatology, and counselors can work with their clients in better understanding the diagnosis and its effects. 

Living with SAD can be debilitating, and you should not have to suffer without help. Our therapists at Forensic Insight Group are here to support you and answer any questions you may have. If you are feeling as though you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, feel free to reach out to us to schedule an appointment. Understanding your mood and seasonal changes is important in order for you to receive the help you need. 




References 

Magnusson A, Stefansson JG. Prevalence of seasonal affective disorder in Iceland. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1993;50:941–6.

Melrose , S. (2015). Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Overview of Assessment and Treatment Approaches. Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University. https://doi.org/ 10.1155/2015/178564 

Nussbaumer-Streit, Barbara; Pjrek,Edda; Kien, Christina; Gartlehner, Gerald; Bartova, Lucie; Friedrich, Michaela-Elena; Kasper Siegfried, and Dietmar Winkler (2018). Implementing prevention of seasonal affective disorder from patients’ and physicians’ perspectives – a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry, (18)372. https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-018-1951-0#Sec2

Palamar, J.J.; Caroline Rutherford, C; and Keyes, K.M. Summer as a Risk Factor for Drug Initiation. Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Tiihonen, Jari;  Halonen, Pirjo; Tiihonen, Laura; Kautiainen, Hannu;  Storvik, Markus and Callaway, James (2017). The Association of Ambient Temperature and Violent Crime. Sci Re (7) 6543. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-06720-z