Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder

For some, with summer comes depression. NECBT can help.

Are you feeling a little down this summer, but don’t know how to explain it? Has this happened to you in summers past? Do you start feeling blue around the onset of summer, but begin to feel more at ease as the weather cools and we settle deeper into the autumn months?

If you answered yes to the above questions, you are not alone. While many individuals living with varying forms of depression, and specifically Winter SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), can find that the summer months, with their influx of warmth, sunshine and activity, can ease depressive symptoms, there is a percentage of the population that actually feels an increase in depressive symptoms with the onset of summer.

People who experience Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder might feel more agitated during the summer months, have trouble sleeping, and lose their appetite. This is in contrast to the more common type of SAD that occurs in the winter. In the winter, those who experience SAD are lethargic, socially withdrawn and prone to gaining weight from an increased craving for carbohydrates and other “comfort” foods.

Although the causes of Summer SAD are not entirely certain, researchers have suggested that the discomfort caused by heat and humidity, a sensitivity to strong sunlight, and, according to this recent article at animals.io9.com, even allergies might contribute to Summer SAD. It has also been suggested that the increase in daylight in the summer months can disrupt our circadian rhythms, which in consequence, throws off our sleeping patterns.

According to Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a psychiatrist who has been instrumental an instrumental research on both Winter and Summer SAD,

"In some ways the summer-SAD is more dangerous than the winter version because those who suffer this malady are more likely to feel suicidal (which may go along with their feelings of agitation)." 

In 2011 Rosenthal explained to NBC News that it can actually be harder to treat Summer SAD than its winter counterpart.

“A person with summer SAD can stay inside, crank up the AC, and darken the room but then go outside into the heat and it’s as if they’ve never been treated.”

Symptoms of depression, such as persistent sadness, feelings of worthlessness, loss of pleasure in once-enjoyable activities, or thoughts of suicide, can become all-encompassing. If depression of any kind, seasonal, or otherwise, is getting in the way of you living your life, it is time to seek assistance.

NECBT’s I-CBT treatment has been extremely successful in helping individuals work through their depression. Over 90% of all people that have worked through our I-CBT treatment have experienced significant change in the way they feel.

We are conducting an ongoing Depression Study that examines the results of patients’ daily outcomes and overall treatment, and have found significant decreases in patients’ depression scores when their first session is compared to their last. When a patient first comes in for treatment, they may score as high as a 64 on our Depression Test, but after leaving, may score as low as 0.

At NECBT, individual treatment for depression is often incorporated with group therapy, and in certain cases, medication management. Our I-CBT trained therapists teach patients coping skills and new ways of thinking to help them work through their depression.

(For more information about our treatment please read this post from last month, or visit our website at www.necbt.com.)

Many people experience depression, but most do not receive the help they need. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, please do not hesitate to come in for an evaluation. Whether you believe you are experiencing SAD or a more persistent form of depression, we can help you figure out what you are experiencing, and give you the help you need.

Call our office today at 860-430-5515 to make an appointment.