The sun has many positive impacts on our lives every day, including helping us grow plants and telling us the time of day. But the sun also helps people’s moods, preventing seasonal affective disorder.
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression that comes around during different seasons, according to the United Kingdom National Health Service.
One of the main causes of SAD is lower serotonin levels, which come from a lack of sunlight.
“My class went over a study where people from northern areas experience more depressive like symptoms versus the people who live in southern, warmer environments,” said Grayson Burgess, a freshman psychology student at WCU.
According to this study, Alaska, Vermont and New Hampshire have the highest depression ratings. This study also found that some cities in the north have the highest searches for seasonal depression.
WCU has always been known for its rain. A saying around campus is that WCU stands for “We Carry Umbrellas.” Burgess talked about his experience on days without sunlight.
“On colder, foggier, darker days, I just don’t feel motivated to do anything, and that is a symptom of depression,” Burgess said.
Another common symptom of SAD is longer days. This is mostly common for Spring SAD.
“Spring SAD is usually caused by having longer days of sunlight,” said Gene Edwards, a psychologist who mainly focuses on therapy.
Edwards is a licensed psychology therapist with office in Charlotte specializing in student mental health. Edwards also sees a correlation between bipolar disorder and Spring SAD.
“People who have bipolar disorder can also have Spring SAD,” said Edwards. “People with bipolar disorder can have manic episodes during specific episodes.”
As a therapist, Edwards feels that college students are more affected by SAD.
“I definitely see a lot more college students who are affected by SAD,” Edwards said. “I think it’s because of the stress that college students go through, as well as the other effects.”
There are many ways to fight against SAD. According to the Mayo Clinic, some ways to fight against SAD “may include light therapy, psychotherapy, and medications.”
Light therapy uses specific types of lights to treat conditions that people have, like SAD. Psychotherapy utilizes methods like verbal interactions to help people identify issues and figure out ways to get through them.
Everybody has days where they are down, but if you are down for multiple days in a row, or you are unmotivated for things you usually are motivated to do, then contact Counseling and Psychological Services or a different mental health professional.
