Dear Dr. D.
The snow is falling, and it's too cold to go anywhere. I feel like I'm trapped in my apartment. I always get really depressed this time of the year. I'm losing my motivation to even go to class anymore. Is this normal and is there anything I can do to cheer up and not bomb my classes because of this funk?
Frosty the Snowman
Dear Frosty,
I am going to assume that when you say, "I always get depressed this time of year," you are referring to the "winter season" and not the "holiday season," since many people also suffer from depression and have a difficult time around the holidays. If I am assuming correctly, I hear your pain. Even though I am a "hardened, play in the snow 'til you freeze your nose hairs Yooper," I also suffer from listlessness and lack of motivation after long bouts of cold weather, or when it has been more than a month since I have seen the sun.
What you are describing is quite normal and one of the banes of living in this locale. Hey, let's face it, East Lansing is never going to be featured on the Discovery Channel as one of ten top warm/sunny places to vacation during this time of year (although we do regularly make it on ESPN's top ten sports locales to be this time of year).
In the winter, the daylight hours dwindle, it gets much colder, and the sun makes its appearance about as often as Rush Limbaugh makes an appearance on "The Daily Show." The season can bring out long faces, stymie motivation and create a sense of feeling "trapped" among both students and faculty/staff. This fairly normal disorder, which is often associated with varying levels of depression, has been labeled Seasonal Affective Disorder. The acronym, SAD, at times seems to be more than appropriate for the condition.
Realizing that SAD, and the accompanying depression, can be both serious and debilitating, let me offer you some suggestions. Available research says that for some people just spending as much time as you can outside when there is sun, and even just getting fresh air when there is not sun, can help alleviate the symptoms. Others recommend watching movies or television that have a lot of "sun and surf" seasonal video work. Working by a window, or if you have no access to one, putting up pictures of varying degrees of outdoor visual reference can also help. Of course, I recommend, if you can afford it, getting away to a place where sun and hot weather abound (something to look forward to — spring break).
A recommendation that has shown promise is "light therapy." This "artificial" sunlight therapy has been shown to improve the symptoms for some individuals after varying amounts of exposure (two to six hours) of the therapy. The results are variable and may not last very long, but it can help. These light boxes can be expensive and may have some side effects if not used properly, so you may want to ask someone first and shop around. MSU students also report that talking with family and friends, getting out to do some exercise or listening to their favorite music helps them deal with both depression, stress and long hours of no sun. You may want to also take advantage of the various greenhouses on campus that folks sometimes go to get a dose of "green light" and a sense of summer.
Of course there is always the option of going to see a health care provider at Olin Health Center or a counselor at the MSU Counseling Center, where in some cases they may prescribe medications to go along with the visit and other suggestions to help alleviate some of the symptoms. Whatever you should choose, just remember that there are people who want to help you here so please give us a call. For more information on SAD, you can find it at the National Mental Health Association Web site at: www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/27.cfm.
Until then, it may help if we all could periodically stick our heads out the window and break into a resounding chorus of, "Here comes the sun, ta da da da, da..."
Dr. D
