UNDERSTANDING SUMMER DEPRESSION - BARBARA MELVILLE

Understanding Summer Depression

Symptoms, Causes &Treatment of Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder

© Barbara Melville

Mar 17, 2008

This article offers an overview of reverse seasonal affective disorder, the rare summer form of SAD that can signifcantly impact on the lives of sufferers.

Summer depression is a rare variant of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) with a spring onset, affecting sufferers through the lighter, hotter months. It manifests with some symptoms that are the reverse of those suffered in the winter form. It is sometimes referred to as “reverse seasonal affective disorder” or “summer SAD”.

The most common type of SAD is often described as “winter depression”, and includes symptoms such as low mood, oversleeping and increased appetite. These symptoms occur in the autumn and winter months.

Symptoms of Summer Depression

The DSM-IV notes SADs as “specifiers”, seasonal patterns that can occur within major depressive or bipolar disorders. Sufferers of summer SAD may experience some or all of the following symptoms during the spring and summer months:

• Depression, feelings of hopelessness
• Loss of interest and/or enjoyment in activities
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Feelings of irritability
• Feelings of agitation
• Poor appetite
• Weight loss
• Increased sex drive
• Suicidal thoughts and feelings

These symptoms subside in the fall, reappearing the following spring.

Causes of Summer Depression

Like other types of depression, determining a cause is not straightforward, and clearly more research is needed to better understand this disorder. Winter depression is strongly linked to a lack of sunlight, so it is logical to assume that summer depression may be linked to too much sunlight. Although this may be an important part of the picture, the little research that has been carried out suggests that temperature increases play a much more significant role.

Prevalence of Summer Depression

Summer SAD is thought to affect less than 1% of the US population. These sufferers appear to live in hotter regions and, as is the case with other depressive disorders, they are more likely to be female. It is hard to determine the true number of sufferers and significance of gender variation, as people may feel uncomfortable coming forward. Some may manage their symptoms themselves, without seeking advice.

Treatment for Summer Depression

The symptoms of summer depression may have a significantly negative impact on sufferers’ lives, making it difficult for them to function. As with the causes, there is very little evidence on how best to treat to treat summer SAD, though a few possible treatments have been highlighted by researchers.

Sufferers often attribute their symptoms to the summer heat, reporting relief from symptoms by staying indoors and keeping cool. Some find relief in air-conditioned environments and/or taking regular cold showers.

So far, summer SAD has been shown to respond to antidepressant medication, which helps to elevate mood by altering levels of certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin. These chemicals are strongly linked to mood and have shown to be effective in treating other types of depression, including winter SAD. Since it may take several weeks for antidepressants to kick in, a doctor may suggest beginning a course of medication in the late winter, before the onset of symptoms.

In non-seasonal depression and winter SAD, sticking to a healthy diet, doing regular exercise and accessing talking treatments have all been shown to be helpful, though it is unclear if these will help summer SAD sufferers.

For some self-help strategies, including information on sleep and diet, read Self-help for Summer Depression. Anyone suffering symptoms of summer SAD should seek advice from a qualified health professional.

Sources

Seasonal Affective Disorder: American Family Physician, accessed 17th March 2008, no author specified

Seasonal affective disorder with summer depression and winter hypomania: American Journal of Psychiatry, accessed 17th March 2008, authors - Wehr, TA; Sack, DA; Rosenthal, NE

The copyright of the article Understanding Summer Depression in Depression is owned by Barbara Melville. Permission to republish Understanding Summer Depression in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Here come the summertime blues

summerdepression@yahoogroups.com
De: "John R Bolam" <Data: Tue, 02 May 2006 10:25:06 -0000
Assunto: [summerdepression] Here Come The Smmertime Blues

I found this bit of imformation on the website:

http://www.britain.tv/health_here_come_the_summerblues.shtml

I enclose the full text here, as we all know webpages do not stay
online for ever.

HERE COME THE SUMMERTIME BLUES

For many people, the arrival of sunny days and blue skies is a cause
of deep gloom

While there are many of us that welcome summer, and it is not far
away, there are others that hate the first glimpses of sunshine and
blue skies. It has been discovered by the psychologists that it is
not only the dark winter months that you can give rise to seasonal
affective disorder (SAD), with its symptoms of depression and
fatigue. On the other hand for the people that have summer (or
reverse) SAD, the sun coming out is not a cause to be happy.

By experts at America 's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
there are looking into what actually starts the summertime blues. It
is less common than the winter form of SAD, but there are up to one
in three of the population that are said to have this, the summer
form is none the less affects roughly 600,000 people in the UK and
is no less incapacitating. There are some sufferers that go to great
measures to stay out of the sun's rays and warm weather.

Due to the low profile of this condition could mean that they be
unaware of the reason for their dips in mood when the clocks go
forward.

"We have had calls from quite a few people who have symptoms of
summer SAD but have never heard of it," says Amelia Mustapha, a
spokeswoman for the Depression Alliance. "It is an area that is
currently being looked at more closely, but because so little is
known about it, people are often misdiagnosed or not taken seriously
by their doctors when they complain of summer depression."

The researchers do know that when the weather is better, the worse
summer SAD is. This could be a reason why they say, why the
Australian Gold Coast and California , both of which have a
desirable amount of sunshine, and it is the home to some of the most
depressed people in the world.

WHAT CAUSES SUMMER SAD?

Professor Norman Rosenthal, a psychiatrist and SAD expert at
Georgetown University says, that nobody knows what causes it. "It
could be the increased light or the rising temperatures," he says.
There are other researchers that think that there could be a genetic
connection to SAD, as there are more than two thirds of patients
that were studied have a relative with a form of mental illness.

Some more of them think that the solution could be in the brain's
hypothalamus, the control centre for hormones. However, it's linked
to temperature sensors, and certain mental coping mechanisms could
be affected when the temperatures increase.

It has been shown by Professor Wehr in trials that people with the
condition are more likely to experience a considerable rise in body
temperature at night in contrast to non-sufferers. "When depressed
patients were wrapped in cooling blankets at night, their
temperatures dropped and their symptoms disappeared," Prof Wehr
says. "As soon as they went outside into the summer heat, their
depression returned."

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE SUFFERING?

It is believed that Winter SAD is linked o the lack of sunlight that
increases the production of the sleep-related hormone melatonin,
which has the results in overpowering feelings of tiredness and
depression. Frequently they are accompanied with a desire for
carbohydrate foods and weight gain.

For summer SAD the symptoms are different. They tend to begin in
early spring and carry on until the clocks are put back. The
sufferers tend to complain of feeling nervous and restless along
with having insomnia. They often feel uncomfortably warm at night.

In the severe case of both forms, the sufferers can get clinically
depressed. Double as many women suffer both forms of SAD and it
happens mostly during the reproductive years.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

There are simple measures that you can take, to tackle summer
depression according to Professor Rosenthal these include using
blackout curtains or blinds and to open windows at night when the
weather is warmer.

It could even help you to avoid the bright light by wearing
sunglasses. Also if you take cooling blankets or frozen hot water
bottles to bed and regular cool showers.

Prof Rosenthal also advises getting a thyroid check, as "there is
some evidence that people with summer SAD have low thyroid
function".

Amelia Mustapha says that exercise and a healthy diet are important
mood boosters. "If symptoms persist, it is important to see your GP
about your summer depression so that medication -usually anti-
depressants - can be prescribed."

There ain' t cure for the summertime blues - Clare Allan - The Guardian

There ain't no cure for the summertime blues
Clare Allan
Wednesday June 06 2007
The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/jun/06/socialcare.comment


This is the time of year when people start raising their expectations. Weekend
picnics are planned in the park, and tables appear outside cafes. Bare legs,
flip-flops, strappy tops, music blaring from open windows, "Hey, you! Smile!
It's summer!" This is the time of year I brace myself.

In the UK, of course, experience has taught us not to expect too much. Just as
we weren't supposed to get the Olympics or a decent millennium firework display,
we fully expect our summers to be rained off. When they're not - and, let's face
it, they're increasingly not - the pressure to "make the most of it" becomes
almost a moral imperative. "Sitting inside on a day like today? You must be mad!
What a waste!"

The temperature charts in newspapers receive the sort of scrutiny normally
employed by investors scouring the FTSE 100. "We were hotter than Malaga
yesterday! That's where the neighbours have gone. Imagine! Wouldn't you be
gutted!" You present an alternative view at your peril; dissent is a threat to
us all. Like favoured children, we live in fear that, should we not show
ourselves suitably grateful, the sun will desert us and head off to Spain or the
south of France or Sicily, or some place where they'll appreciate it properly.

Oh, I don't doubt summer is all very well in its way. I suppose it must save on
the heating bills, you get a good dose of vitamin D, and the winter depressives
sigh with relief - again and again and again and again, loudly.

"But what about summer depressives?" you scream - or I do. "What about me?" I'll
admit that until five minutes ago I didn't know I existed. Such is the
self-absorbed nature of depression that it never once occurred to me there might
be another being on the planet who struggles through summer as I do. But,
according to an article in the New York Times, summer depression is, in America
at least, a recognised disorder. Of course, this doesn't actually mean much more
than that somebody somewhere is marketing something that claims to cure you of
it, but none the less I find the knowledge oddly reassuring.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is well recognised, at least in terms of
winter depression. Lamps are widely available, and "winter blues", though
varying greatly in degree, are an accepted fact of life. But one of the worst
things with summer depression is that sense of being out of sync. Not liking
summer is like crying at a party - it simply isn't done. Depression is almost a
criminal offence, and I don't doubt it will soon become one, with police
afforded special powers to stop you and check if you're looking happy enough.

According to the New York Times, around 5% of adult Americans suffer from winter
SAD and less than 1% its summer variant. Of course, much of the US is hotter
than here - if that makes any difference, which it seems to - but even if levels
in the UK are just a quarter of those across the Atlantic, that still leaves
12,500 people enduring their various levels of summer hell. So where are they
all? If they're like me, they're hiding indoors.It is generally thought that winter depression is linked to levels of melatonin
and brought on by absence of light - hence the sun lamps. But summer depression
is less well understood. The question of whether it's too much heat or too much
light has yet to be resolved. A study conducted by Thomas Wehr, of the National
Institute for Mental Health in the US, involved cooling patients down by using a
sort of reverse thermal blanket. When they went back outside into the sun, the
symptoms of their depression returned.

I don't have much to contribute to the heat versus light debate. For me, it's
more a question of surviving the symptoms. Come spring, I'm already starting to
panic, and I never truly breathe easy until the autumn. It's a feeling of being
at once trapped and exposed, of having nowhere to hide.

My tips for making it through the summer are a sort of tragicomic reversal of
the strategies others employ in wintertime: take a break to somewhere cool.
Buenos Aires is good right now, only 4C, but if you can't manage that, at least
take a look through those temperature charts and dream.

&#183; Clare Allan is a writer and novelist

Questionário para estabelecer a sazonalidade do distúrbio

Seasonal Pattern

Assessment Questionnaire

The purpose of this form is to find out how your mood and behaviour change over time.

Please fill in all the relevant boxes or circles. Note: We are interested in your experience; not

others you may have observed.

1. In the following questions, fill in boxes or circles for all applicable months. This may be a

single month, a cluster of months, or any other grouping.

At what time of year do you . . .

Ja

n

Fe

b

Mar

Apr

May

J

un

J

ul Au

g

Se

p

Oct

Nov

Dec

No

ne

A. Feel best

B. Tend to gain most weight

C. Socialize most

D. Sleep least

E. Eat most

F. Lose most weight

G. Socialize least

H. Feel worst

I. Eat least

J. Sleep most

2. To what degree do the following change

with the seasons?

No

change

Slight

Change

Moderate

Change

Marked

Change

Extremely

Marked

Change

A. Sleep length

B. Social activity

C. Mood (overall feeling of well

being)

D. Weight

E. Appetite

F. Energy level

3. If you experience changes with the seasons, do you feel that these are a problem for you?

No

Yes

If yes, is this problem:

MILD MODERATE MARKED SEVERE DISABLING

4. By how much does your weight fluctuate during the course of the year?

0-3 lbs. 4-7 lbs. 8-11 lbs. 12-15 lbs. 16-20 lbs. Over 20 lbs.

5. Approximately how many hours of each 24-hour day do you sleep each season?

(includes naps)

Hours slept per day

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Over

18

hours

Winter

(Dec 21 –

Mar 20)

Spring

(Mar 21 –

June 20)

Summer

(June 21 –

Sept 20)

Fall

(Sept 21 –

Dec 20)

6. Do you notice a change in food preference during the different seasons?

No

Yes

Please specify:

El verano influye en la aparición de patologías psiquiátricas

http://www.elperiodicomediterraneo.com/noticias/noticia.asp?pkid=117158

EXPERTOS PONEN DE RELIEVE LA SENSIBILIDAD DE ALGUNAS PERSONAS A LOS CAMBIOS CLIMÁTICOS

El verano influye en la aparición de patologías psiquiátricas

 Depresión estival, trastornos del sueño y aumento de suicidios, entre ellos La modificación de los hábitos y la "excepcionalidad", principales causas

31/07/2004 REDACCIÓN

El director de la unidad de hospitalización psiquiátrica del Hospital San Juan de Dios de Santurce (Vizcaya), José María Galletero, puso ayer de manifiesto que la sensibilidad de algunas personas a los cambios climáticos influye en la aparición de algunas patologías psiquiátricas en verano.
El especialista señaló en una nota que la depresión veraniega, el aumento de suicidios o los trastornos del sueño figuran como algunas de las patologías más comunes en época estival en personas consideradas "metereosensibles".
Las alteraciones en la salud de las personas como consecuencia de cambios estacionales y climáticos se producen en ocasiones por "una excepcionalidad verdadera" y en otras por la modificación de hábitos en la población, sobre todo, en la época de verano, explicó el experto.
Entre las patologías citadas, la depresión veraniega es considerada por el doctor Galletero "una variante del trastorno afectivo estacional menos frecuente".
El trastorno afectivo estacional es una forma de depresión más frecuente en los meses de otoño e invierno y está desencadenado por la respuesta del cerebro a la disminución de la exposición a la luz natural.
La depresión veraniega, según indicó, constituye "un episodio depresivo grave", que afecta más a la mujer que al hombre y al que se asocian cuadros de somnolencia e irritabilidad, aumento del apetito y una disminución de la actividad.

DEPRESSÃO SAZONAL DE VERÃO - DESCOBERTA

Eu e a depressão de verão>
Sampa, agosto/2004>

Texto recuperado em 2009 porque tudo o que está escrito continua válido e funcionando...estou feliz porque o friozinho de Sampa me devolveu a alegria de viver e a disposição. E novamente postado em janeiro de 2011 porque ...

Eu me vejo como uma pessoa inteligente, criativa, batalhadora, com gosto pelo estudo e pela pesquisa.
Por outro lado não consegui realizar muito nas possíveis carreiras que me fascinam: bailarina, musicista, cineasta, fotógrafa, tradutora, designer, escritora, professora, dona de sebo ou de loja de artesanato... e outras mais. Sempre dizia a meu psiquiatra de toda vida: "Existe algo em mim que me sabota".
Minha vida escolar desde o jardim da infância sofria altos e baixos; de primeira da classe passava a uma média de 35, sendo que na época a nota maior era 100.
No ginásio e colégio notas apenas regulares contrastavam com a opinião de professores que me consideravam inteligente.
Na USP consegui terminar os cursos fazendo pouquíssimos créditos por semestre.
Apesar da surdez precoce (aos 19 anos) consegui e mantive um emprego estável e relativamente bem pago. Consegui ser uma boa bancária aplicando criatividade e inteligência nesse ir e vir de números e papéis de antes do computador.
Tinha planejado para a aposentadoria um paraíso feito de pós graduação, música, artes, viagens, leitura e algum trabalho social como voluntária.
Mas a realidade me sabotou.
Com a ajuda de meu psiquiatra e agora amigo fui separando o que era doença física e o que era psicológico. TPM, menopausa, enxaqueca, fibromialgia, hipotiroidismo e outras coisas do gênero foram tratadas pelos respectivos especialistas.
Descartados esses problemas sobrou ela: A DEPRESSÃO. Várias tentativas de tratamento mais ou menos eficientes e muitas recaídas. Minha cabeça ia em mas meu corpo se recusava a acompanhar.
Como numa colagem fui juntando dados e aos poucos formando uma figura multi facetada mas objetiva: o assassino que me rondava era o calor, o verão quente e úmido que traz alegria de férias à maioria das pessoas.
Para confirmar essa percepção bastaram alguns verões insuportáveis em Buenos Aires. Eu havia escolhido essa cidade por seu inverno delicioso, geladinho e cheio de atrações culturais.
A depressão e a enxaqueca voltavam a me atacar com ferocidade e eu levava quase seis meses para me recuperar.
Tudo isso misturado a 3 cirurgias com anestesia geral e outras 3 com cirurgia local, tratamentos para fibromialgia, enxaqueca, menopausa, rinite alérgica resultando em ganho de peso, acabou com meus planos e a alegria de viver.
Todos os meus problemas de saúde pareciam pertencer à mesma familia e se não eram diretamente causados pelo verão eram despertados por ele. Ao notar que aplicações de gelo melhoravam minhas dores no corpo e enxaqueca e que o inverno portenho com temperaturas de 5 graus centígrados ou menos devolviam minha vitalidade comecei a pesquisar conexões entre calor, umidade e depressão.
Aos poucos fui achando uma possível resposta. Por incrível que pareça, vivendo num país com vastas áreas de clima quente e úmido a resposta veio dos Estados Unidos da América : especialistas em depressão sazonal de inverno começaram a receber pacientes que relatavam os sintomas de depressão sazonal mas com sinal trocado.
Não eram os dias curtos e escuros de inverno mas os dias quentes e úmidos do verão que causavam sofrimento e mal estar.
Assim o fantasma nebuloso que atacava algumas pessoas começou a ter seus contornos mais definidos: para os norte americanos trata-se de"Summer SAD" ou seja distúrbio afetivo sazonal de verão.
Com a descoberta fiquei triste e feliz. Triste pelos anos e anos de sofrimento sem explicação e feliz porque minhas suspeitas se confirmaram.
Havia algo me sabotando mas não era minha insegurança ou baixa auto estima ou mesmo preguiça...era o verão, o calor, a poluição atmosférica que enlouqueciam meu organismo, provocando um caos doloroso em minha vida, cujo nome genérico é depressão.
Como muitas áreas da medicina esta pesquisa apenas começa mas para gente como eu é um avanço tremendo. Por isso quero compartilhar textos que encontro e também quero aprender mais para melhor minha qualidade de vida e de outras pessoas com problemas semelhantes.

Se você quiser saber mais é só colocar no google: "summer sad", "summer depression" "Norman Rosenthal" (o responsável pela pesquisa sobre depressão sazonal de inverno e de verão)...
Eu mesma tenho uma enorme coleção de textos porque estudei o problema e li tudo que aparecia sobre o assunto, na verdade não há muito material sobre o tema.
E o tratamento para pessoas com esse distúrbio? Tratamento com psiquiatra, se for o caso antidepressivos e se possível mudança para lugar de clima frio ou até mesmo fazer de sua casa um ambiente mais frio com ventiladores, ar condicionado, janelas especiais, etc.
O mais importante: não se sinta culpada(a) de não gostar do verão como a maioria das pessoas.

Decoração para fibromiálgicos e deprimidos

Este é o estado da minha cozinha nos meus piores dias...as coisas vão se amontoando sobre os móveis, cadeiras, chão... A sonolência invencível e a dor no corpo transformam os objetos em inimigos em lugar de serem meros utensílios...

Mesa de JANTAR que vira mesa de JUNTAR coisas que não me animo a guardar, com destaque para caixas de remédio!

ÁREA DE SERVIÇO E MATERIAL DE LIMPEZA de quem não tem força para empunhar uma vassoura ou torcer um pano de chão.

As roupas parecem sair do armário e depois de desfilar sobre a cama e as cadeiras se jogam em qualquer canto!

Não tenho nenhum prazer em ficar exibindo essas bagunças todas mas se este blog tem a finalidade de descrever e discutir depressão (a doença não uma tristezinha passageira) acho que estas fotos podem ser de utilidade para quem passa por situação semelhante.

Imagino que ao ver que outros têm sintomas e reações parecidos possa causar um alívio do sentimento de culpa e falta de força de vontade que sempre acompanha a depressão.

Ora dirão os que têm a sorte de não ter esse distúrbio: porque não chamar uma faxineira, não ter uma empregada?

Resposta: Num momento em que você não aguenta o peso do próprio corpo e a própria existência vai aguentar faxineira zanzando dentro de casa? Justo quando você quer se enfiar num buraco profundo, escuro e silencioso? Para bom entendedor: uma tumba ou sarcófago ou a terra do nada...

Evidentemente posso escrever e até ironizar porque estou saindo de uma crise, graças a meu psiquiatra, a meus antidepressivos e a meu eterno esforço em procurar ajuda...mas deixo este registro porque imagino que muitos como eu até ter um nome e um tratamento para o mal que os corrói e tira a vontade de viver, ficam se julgando vagabundos, sem força de vontade, pessoas fracas de caráter, acomodados e uma série de outros DEFEITOS MORAIS que nada têm de verdadeiros se o caso for depressão.

Outros distúrbios têm outros sintomas ou sintomas parecidos mas aqui eu vou me restringir a falar de depressão e principalmente da DEPRESSÃO SAZONAL DE VERÃO que derruba tanta gente nessa época de férias, sol e praia...e supostamente alegria e descontração.
E viva o ar condicionado, e viva o vento gelado!

Fique à vontade se quiser postar comentários!