Summertime Sadness: Signs you might be having summer seasonal depression and what causes it

Many people love to enjoy delicious lemonade, swim in the pool, and munch on watermelon in the summer. However, some may find summer medically depressing. This is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and is commonly known to occur in winter. But summer depression also exists and “certainly deserves further study and even more concern,” said The Washington Post, which first reported SAD in the scientific literature in 1984. I quoted university medical psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal.

Both winter and summer SAD symptoms are characterized by sadness and decreased pleasure. However, experts note that some symptoms he seems to be different in the two seasons.

People with winter depression tend to sleep too much, eat too much, and feel tired. Summer ones experience the opposite symptoms – they are not as hungry, they have a decreased appetite and experience insomnia.

Summer depression is more excitable depression than winter depression. Like winter depression, patients tend to feel distressed rather than lethargic.

People with summer depression may be at increased risk of suicide. “This may be because depressed patients who feel suicidal during the winter may not have the energy to carry out their plans,” says Rosenthal. Unfortunately, people with summer depression may have more energy to hurt themselves because they are sad and agitated.

Factors that increase the risk of SAD in summer include heat, humidity, and pollen. “Sometimes people say the light cuts through me like a knife, it’s unbearable, and bright light actually makes me more manic,” Rosenthal said.

The researchers say summer SAD could become more pronounced with climate change in a warming world.

“Given global warming, I would predict that the importance of SAD in the summer has certainly increased, raising concerns about increased exposure to possible heat and moisture triggers,” Rohan said. said.

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