Winter Depression The psyche in the winter

Winter weather beats many people's mind

14/11/2014

Dark, wet and cold weather and cloudy view: The winter beats many people's minds and causes on some days for displeasure and bad mood. But in some cases it does not stay in a temporary mood. Instead, some people suffer from a so-called „Seasonal Affective Disorder“, a depressive disorder that occurs during the autumn and winter months, resulting in, among other things, depressed mood and prolonged sleep.

Affected suffer for months of depression and anxiety
A look out of the window in the morning is often enough to get in the mood for bad mood in autumn and winter and to want to go back to the warm bed. Rain, cold temperatures or days at a time „Grey in grey“: The dark season sometimes clouds the mood of many people and sometimes leads to bad mood and depression. However, the mood does not always disappear by itself; instead, some people suffer from anxiety and sadness for months on end.

Atypical symptoms such as cravings and prolonged sleep
In this case, experts speak of one „Seasonal Affective Disorder“ or „seasonal affective disorder“, which occurs especially in autumn and winter and in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) the so-called „recurrent depressive disorders“ assigned. In addition to the typical symptoms of depression, this condition also includes atypical symptoms such as an increase in sleep duration, headache, increased sweet-tooth cravings, indigestion, or weight gain. In contrast, a seasonally independent depression is usually characterized by loss of appetite, weight loss and a shorter sleep duration.

Lack of light and sun leads to dissatisfaction and sadness
Even Hans Schmid is affected by the depressive disorder and suffers in the dark months under the wet and cold weather. Above all, the cold sets him, because through this arises at Schmidt dissatisfaction and sadness in a measure, which leads to a winter depression in the end. „Most of all I miss the sun and the warmth“, Schmidt tells the news agency „dpa“, „when it gets dark, life takes a break.“ As a result, the 46-year-old retires, isolates himself and hangs his dark thoughts for hours on some days: „I feel like I'm trapped in a thought-chaos, "he reveals. "Time runs away as I sit at the table staring into space“, Schmidt continues.

Nearly every third affected by moods in winter
His emotional state during the autumn and winter seasons was comparable to an engine that was turned up, „but it's actually like driving over the highway in first gear.“ At this time Schmidt is extreme „thin-skinned“, every little conflict weighs heavily, negative experiences put a lot more pressure on him than in the other half of the year. As soon as the weather gets better and temperatures rise, his psyche will not go crazy any more, the communication designer continues. According to the psychiatrist and chief physician of the Burghof Clinic in Bad Nauheim, Thorsten Bracher, Schmidt is not an isolated case: „Certain people react in the low-season with a depressive mood, impulsive drive and joylessness“, so the expert opposite the „dpa“. As a study of the opinion research institute Forsa and the Techniker Krankenkasse from the year 2009 had shown, almost one in three respondents could report a general low mood in the winter.

Light inhibits melatonin secretion
For light expert Ulrike Brandi from Hamburg, winter depression is not a surprising phenomenon, because the effect of light on humans should not be underestimated: „Light has a biological effect that is absorbed by the eye in addition to what we see.“ This has an effect on our hormone balance, because light inhibits the release of the hormone melatonin, which controls the day-night rhythm of the human body. This leads to exhaustion and reduced ability to concentrate, which could develop under certain circumstances, a depression, so Brandi more compared to the „dpa“.

Walks even in cloudy weather
Accordingly, the light expert recommends to go outside even in cloudy weather, because even an incandescent lamp does not have the same effect as the daylight, which is a strength „between 10 000 and 20 000 lux“ reach. By moving outdoors, however, sufficient natural light can be absorbed to produce the body's own "happiness hormone" serotonin, which reduces depressive moods. Alternatively, according to Thorsten Bracher, light therapy is also available in which the patient is exposed to a bright artificial light („light shower“) is suspended: „Lamps with daylight spectrum are intense and replace the light one piece“, the psychologist continues.

Remembering sunny moments helps in hard times
Hans Schmid also tries to fight his winter depression in acute times as well as possible, for example by having sunny and warm moments in a mental one „jar of jam“ Conserve. He also helps to write down beautiful situations so that he can recall them in difficult hours. „When it's dark outside, I consciously recall glowing colors and keep the beauty in mind“ so Schmidt. (Ag)