Are you anxious, over tired or over eating? Look out the window and see what people are wearing. Jackets, scarves and mittens may be a key to what has been bringing spirits down.
As the temperature drops, many people get SAD — between 1.4 percent to 3.5 percent of the world’s population, according to an Oct. 25 London Times article. SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder.
“It is important to note that Seasonal Affective Disorder is actually a psychiatric diagnosis, formally called Major Depressive Episode with Seasonal Pattern,” said Debra Franko, an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology at Northeastern and a licensed clinical psychologist.
Franko said people suffering from SAD have all the symptoms of clinical depression: sadness, diminished interest in activities and changes in appetite, sleep and energy level. These symptoms begin in the fall or winter and get better in the spring.
“There is some research that suggests that this can also occur in people who do not meet the full criteria for major depression, but it is important to distinguish depression from ‘just feeling down because it is cold and gets dark early,'” Franko said.
Walking from Centennial Quad to Krentzman Quad, the leaves are kicked and shuffled and the sky matches the color of the concrete campus. Scarves make faces more reclusive as students attempt to hold onto any warmth their hot breath can muster.
“I definitely am not as outgoing as I could be [during the winter months],” said Kathleen Thompson, a junior international business and marketing major. “When it gets dark earlier, I lose a lot of my day.”
The lower amounts of sunlight during the winter months are said to be one of the main causes of SAD. Ruth Quillian, a psychologist at the Duke University Center for Living, said SAD is a fairly widespread reaction to the lack of sunlight during the winter months.
“It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder if it is in a pattern such that it happens year after year and it’s not just on a particular rainy day, but goes on for a period of time, several months in the winter when the sun is less available,” said Quillian.
For others, it is a mild, but debilitating, condition causing discomfort, but not severe suffering. It’s called subsyndromal SAD or “winter blues.”
To shake the blues, Franko suggested that students eat right, get enough sleep, exercise and spend time with friends. If it’s more serious than just feeling down, she suggested a visit to a professional at the Counseling Center or Health Services.
“Students often complain about the cold and the decreased hours of daylight, and link this to feeling bad,” Franko said. “One problem in this is that there are other stresses that come around this time of the year as well that may increase feeling bad.”
Eric Riely, a senior civil engineering major from upstate New York, is used to the chill in the New England air. He said his mood isn’t affected by the sub-zero temperatures.
“I think the end of the quarter affects [my mood] more,” said Riely.
In order to perk up students’ moods, Franko suggested students talk to their friends, Resident Assistants and professors if they are experiencing any of the symptoms of clinical depression and most of all, to seek help from the available professionals on campus.
“This is a disorder that is very treatable and the advice of professionals should be sought,” Franko said.
