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Connect and Grow Magazine: Edition 11 July - August 2024
Winter has truly set in in Melbourne, with overnight temperatures plunging to below zero degrees in some parts of the city. Some thrill seekers will no doubt be rushing to the snow for a weekend of snowboarding, skiing, or sledging, braving the cold to enjoy all that the après-ski has to offer.
Others will be celebrating with one of the many mid-winter festivals organised by local councils – think Christmas in July with a pot of warm mulled wine, a stroll through The Botanical Gardens Lightscape, joining the crowds at The Winter Glow or Winter Solstice festivals to name just a few.
However, for many of us, as each year passes, the mid-winter feels a little less exciting and a bit more challenging. The long dark nights seem to take their toll, more so when scrolling through social media and observing posts about their summer holidays with envious eye friends and family. Nothing makes you crave European summer more than this.
Summer fun in Paris
But what if pining for brighter days and warmer weather is persistent? What happens if you can’t shake off the feeling of being miserable due to the season? Do you notice a pattern in wintertime whereby you experience a lower mood than usual? Perhaps you lack energy and find yourself oversleeping or feeling fatigued and tired all day?
If this sounds like you, then you could be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition characterised by recurrent major depressive episodes that occur annually in winter (Nevarez-Flores et al., 2023).
It is important to distinguish between SAD and normal winter blues, which everyone will experience to some degree. While feeling the winter blues is a common experience, Finch (2023) suggests that the prevalence of SAD in Australia is about 0.33%. In other words, it is extremely rare. Individuals experiencing SAD will have severe and long-lasting symptoms that can significantly impair daily function.
Whereas those experiencing winter blues will have more transient symptoms, come and go, milder in severity that cause little to no impact to daily function (Rothenberg et al., 2024). Nevarez-Flores et al. (2023) suggest clinically relevant symptoms of SAD can include persistent and extreme sadness for most of the day, most days, sudden loss of interest in pleasurable activities, changes to sleep and appetite and in extreme cases thoughts of death or suicide.
There are similarities and overlap in the signs and symptoms of SAD and major depressive disorder (MDD). Both disorders can negatively impact how you think, feel and behave. Additionally with both disorders it is important to identify the symptoms early, seek professional help and start treatment. There are lots of treatment options for both SAD and MDD that you can discuss with your GP or mental health practitioner. Rothenberg et al. (2024) find that lifestyle modifications, such as increasing sporting activities, changes in diet and planned holidays someplace sunny, in combination with medication and counselling, can be helpful for some people experiencing SAD.
References
Finch, J. (2023, May 31). Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Centre for Clinical Psychology Melbourne. https://ccp.net.au/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/
Nevarez-Flores, A. G., Bostock, E. C. S., & Neil, A. L. (2023). The underexplored presence of seasonal affective disorder in the southern hemisphere: A narrative review of the Australian literature. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 162, 170–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.05.003
Rothenberg, M., Nussbaumer-Streit, B., Pjrek, E., & Winkler, D. (2024). Lifestyle modification as intervention for seasonal affective disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 174, 209–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.03.053
If you are struggling with mental health or addiction or know someone who is, you can reach out for help here:
Direct Line (Alcohol and Other Drug counselling and referral) 1800 888 236
Beyond Blue (mental health support) 1300 22 4636
If you are someone that has an NDIS plan and are struggling with your mental health or addictions, know that you are not alone, reach
Written by Mark Bint
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