Summer Makes Some People Depressed
Posted by: Nikki Dowling
Filed in:
news
2:30PM, Saturday July 25th 2009
Most people couldn’t be happier come summer, what with the beach weather and BBQs and all. But there are a few folks out there who get sad and anxious when the weather heats up. Peeps who feel this way may have Summer-Onset Depression, a form of Seasonal Affective Disorder. However, where we usually think of SAD as starting in the fall, the summer version begins in the late spring and ends when the weather starts to get all cold and icky again.
The symptoms are basically the opposite of those experienced by people who have SAD in the winter. People with summer depression sleep and eat less— the opposite is true for people with the winter blues. This disorder is pretty uncommon but people who hate bright light and are uber-sensitive to heat sometimes have it. They aren’t vampires, but these people do get super tired and sometimes feel sick in the dog days of summer.
If you are suffering from this you can visit a psychiatrist, who may prescribe meds. Another option is to take a trip somewhere cool when things begin to get hot. Oddly enough, dark goggles, which filter out blue light, can also be helpful. And I bet they look really cool. [NY Daily News]
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Backliteyes
wrote on July 25 2009 @ 01:33 pm: [report]
Or just say inside and close the blinds, much cheaper than a psychiatrist.
Ellis
wrote on July 25 2009 @ 02:18 pm: [report]
A psychiatrist isn’t the only option as far as professional help goes - psychologists and other therapists can be very useful as well. And I think it’s necessary to add that it’s important not to self-diagnose; see a professional of some kind to determine if it’s really SAD, or if something else might be going on that would require a different treatment.
eskim00ninja
wrote on July 25 2009 @ 02:36 pm: [report]
Thanks! That was a great article. Just knowing that some people feel the same way as I do makes me feel less differnt.
Lilypie
wrote on July 25 2009 @ 05:56 pm: [report]
I’m the only person I know who gets depressed when the time changes in spring. I’ve never liked summer, even when I was a kid and summer meant no school. I love short, dark. cold days and never feel happier than when it’s cold and rainy. Not sure why I live in southern California…
tattooed_redhead
wrote on July 25 2009 @ 10:30 pm: [report]
Winter is my favourite season by far, and I’m much more active in the winter as well. In the summer I hide in my apartment where it’s cool and only leave it after 6pm to ride my bike or walk the dog. I’ve been a summer hater all my life - but being a fair-skinned redhead, the sun is not my friend.
How much do I love winter? I even have a cluster of snowflakes tattooed on my shoulder so that I have a little bit of winter with me all year round!
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on July 26 2009 @ 03:18 pm: [report]
F’ summer. I’m so damn hot all the time, and that’s why I’m pissed off. When you break a sweat sitting on the couch, something is wrong.
Goooooooooooooo winter. Where I’ll still wear flip-flops and shorts because people (Summer lovers) heat their homes and businesses to crazy temps, then I die.
chouette
wrote on July 26 2009 @ 03:44 pm: [report]
I also have always liked summer the least of all seasons. Cool air just makes me feel alive; hot air feels suffocating to me. The fair-skin thing doesn’t help, either. Also being not-athletic.
lilrockgoddess4u
wrote on July 26 2009 @ 04:50 pm: [report]
I have summer SAD. I always get the blues as soon as summer hits. I use a combo of meds, therapy, and I have a very dark bedroom and living area. People joke when they come over that I live in a cave. I am on meds all year long but now that I know the cause of my summer blues, my meds are adjusted to a higher dose at the very start of spring.
maroon
wrote on July 26 2009 @ 05:36 pm: [report]
this has been the most bizarre summer for me. while i normally love summer, i absolutely cannot manage to get more than 3 hours of sleep a night, am generally uncomfortable and stressed out in my own skin. family and other stuff hasn’t been going well either, which definitely hasn’t helped. would cranking the central air help this?
retro chic
wrote on July 26 2009 @ 09:07 pm: [report]
@maroon: I think it might (cranking the AC). I know for me, the cooler the room temp, the deeper, longer and more restful the sleep. Drinking water helps, too, (overnight dehydration; affects neuro activity much like a hangover). I’ll wake me up if I don’t have a glass/bottled water first, or forgot to crank the AC.
Anyhoo… a high-spirited teacher friend gets low during the Summer since she’s off, like her students. She has other work, but the change in routine is sometimes daunting for her.
A couple other friends, also in LA, hate the barer skin, body-conscious issue. There’s over concern with (over)weight (with the added discomfort of heat), tone, tans, flattering clothing. So, I’m not altogether sure it’s a just chemical basis, tho, they’re still affected, but more a psychological thing not directly connected to the sunny Summer conditions themselves, for them, anyway.
I myself crave sunlight and *need* Summer. I just hedge the triple-digit temps with lotso AC and fluids (margaritas are good for you). I literally count the dark days of DST ending in October to Dec 21 when the days are the shortest.
BlueVibe
wrote on July 27 2009 @ 09:07 am: [report]
I don’t think I qualify for SAD, but I definitely prefer winter. It’s too hot here (South Texas) in the summer and I get tired of living in a constant barrage of either extreme air-conditioning or 90+ temperatures and 90+ percent humidity. (It’s also hurricane season, which can be its own brand of I-don’t-need-this-kind-of-excitement.)
I like a little sunlight now and then, but mostly I’d rather have overcast and rainy.
summersad
wrote on July 31 2009 @ 12:51 pm: [report]
If you think you have this condition please check out my non-profit community website about summer seasonal affective disorder—you’ll find a lot of information and others to commiserate with there: http://www.summersad.ning.com
I’m glad it has been relatively cool here in Santa Monica…but I really miss clouds and rain :-(