Summer blues

Symptoms and treatments for summer seasonal affective disorder

Are you experiencing the winter blues in the glory of summer? If so, you’re not alone. About 10% of those who have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) get it in reverse. While the SAD that we’re familiar with has to do with a lack of sunlight, longer days and increasing heat and humidity seem to be the causes of this reverse SAD in summer.

Although these symptoms are common with many types of depression, reverse SAD sufferers more often experience loss of appetite and consequent weight loss, as well as anxiety and subsequent trouble sleeping. One theory is that because sunlight shuts off the body’s melatonin production—the hormone that regulates sleep and is often used to combat jet lag—this deficiency results in reverse SAD. For some people, it can even be triggered by summer allergies.

Many of the same principles that apply to treating other forms of depression apply to SAD. If you’re feeling this way, and especially if you have thoughts of harming yourself, always have the courage to seek help, which is often just a hotline call away (1-833-456-4566; crisisservicescanada.ca). Various forms of talk therapy can be helpful in addition to getting regular sleep, eating healthfully, exercising and avoiding foods that are high in simple sugars, such as candy or sugary sodas.

Reducing stress and establishing or continuing good daily routines, which sometimes get broken in the summer, are also important. If a combination of these fails, adding antidepressants to the coping strategies may alleviate the symptoms.

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