This article was published on page E1 of the Sunday, December 2, 2012 edition of
The Columbia Daily Tribune.
Beating the blues
For many, the winter months can be a time of added stress
By Paula Goldenberg
Columbia Daily Tribune
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Increased tiredness? Weight gain? Loss of focus?
COPING WITH HOLIDAY STRESS
The stress of the holidays also can trigger SAD or possibly make feelings more intense.
Heather Harlan, certified reciprocal prevention specialist at Phoenix Programs Inc., has some tips for handling and preventing holiday stress from consumers of medical services and family members:
Keep a routine. Adequate sleep, nutrition and hydration are key to stay healthy, productive and efficient, Harlan said.
Plan ahead. Anticipate situations with family, lower expectations of what you want to happen and set goals that can easily be accomplished and celebrated.
“We have these expectations that it’s going to be great and that we’re supposed to be happy. We also compare the way we feel inside to other people’s outsides,” Harlan said. “Some people especially feel ‘stuck’ because they aren’t keeping up with progress other extended family members or friends seem to be making in their lives.”
Be patient with family. Take into consideration possible delays and disruptions.
Acknowledge and allow feelings of grief. “Holidays signify a time of loss for many people, whether that be loss of a loved one, loss of job, loss of relationship or loss of health or dreams,” Harlan said.
Ask for help. Make an appointment with your doctor or support group before visits and meet during visits with a trusted family member or friend to prevent possible irritation or resentment.
Designate a quiet room. Family members can make a space for people to take a break from the celebration and offer to help. “It is important as a family member of someone who is suffering to accept that what their loved ones are feeling is real. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 46 percent of Americans have some sort of mental health issue in their lifetime,” Harlan said.
NAMI, the national advocacy and support group for consumers of mental health services and their family members, offers monthly meetings and additional tips at www.nami.org/sites/namiofcolumbia
Harlan is a co-facilitator with her brother, Tim Harlan, for NAMI of Columbia. For more information for monthly meetings, call 874-2402.
The impending break from your 9-to-5 and holiday gatherings with your in-laws are not the only reasons you are feeling a little under the weather. These are just some of the symptoms correlated with the winter blues. If you are feeling down more than usual, you are not alone.
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, between 10 and 20 percent of the population experiences some form of seasonal affective disorder, and women are three to four times more likely than men to experience the condition.
“People can experience significant mood changes with the changing of the seasons due to different amounts of natural light exposure,” said Rob McGavock, a counselor with the Boone Hospital Employee Assistance Program.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, was first formally described by Norman Rosenthal through the National Institute of Mental Health in 1984 after he recognized his own mood changing with the leaves on the trees.
“People at risk for seasonal depression are often those with a history of previous major depressive episodes,” said Tahir Rahman, University of Missouri assistant professor of clinical psychiatry. “People with clinical depression often have recurrent episodes. Season depression is sometimes an added component or trigger for them.”
Some scientists believe the changes in behavior are related to a serotonin insufficiency or problems with melatonin regulation.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, a chemical that communicates information throughout the body and helps regulate body functions and mood. An imbalance can cause mood issues, McGavock said.
Melatonin, meanwhile, is a hormone that helps control sleep and wake cycles. Natural light affects how much melatonin is produced by the body. The timing for melatonin production can become out of sync during seasonal changes because of altered amounts of light exposure, McGavock said.
The amount of light you are exposed to is dependent on your location. For example, those living in northern areas of the country tend to experience SAD more because they are farther away from the equator and thus are exposed to fewer hours of light.
SAD occurs in the fall and winter months, but moods might also swing during spring and summer when natural light exposure increases.
“People realize that something is happening but are not sure what it is. There are a lot of people with SAD with differing levels of severity,” McGavock said.
Fall and winter SAD symptoms include:
■ Sleeping too much, difficulty waking
■ Low energy level
■ Arms and legs feel heavier
■ Feeling depressed
■ Crying or tearing up more easily
■ Overeating and weight gain
■ Decreased ability to concentrate
■ Social withdrawal
■ Loss of normal interests and lack of pleasure
■ Lower sex drive
■ Increased irritability
■ Anxiety
■ General unhappiness
■ Suicidal thoughts in extreme cases
People might experience one or a combination of symptoms triggered by the changing light that persists throughout the season, indicating the possibility of seasonal affective disorder. If these occur, McGavock said a trip to the doctor might be in order.
“There are effective treatments for SAD, so there is no need to suffer with it. It is important to know that SAD is a medical issue and not a character defect,” McGavock said.
Treatment options include light therapy, which consists of exposure to daylight using a full-spectrum light for a period of time, use of a dawn light simulator that simulates a sunrise during waking times and antidepressant medication. Another possible new treatment is ear canal light therapy. It has been discovered that tissue in the ear canal is highly sensitive to light. A person wears a special headset that shines light into the ears for short durations, McGavock said.
Reach Paula Goldenberg at pgoldenberg@columbiatribune.com.
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