Those dreaded months of snowbrushes and salt rings on jeans are now officially here. But when it comes to mental health, gloomy winter days can be much more than just a nuisance.
According to the Web site for the SAD Association, Seasonal Affective Disorder affects about a half million people during the colder, sunlight-lacking months of September through April, with December January and February being the most affected months.
"It's not an independent disorder. It's a type of major affective disorder like major depressive disorder, but it is seasonal," said Sherilyn Thomas, the director of the Psychological Services Center. "The most common pattern is the episodes begin in fall of winter and they remit in spring."
According to the Web site for the National Mental Health Association, symptoms of SAD were first noted around 1845, but not officially named until the early 1980s. Thomas said SAD sufferers usually fall into some particular demographics.
"About four to six of every 100 people have winter depression and another 20 percent have mild depression," she said. "These are people who get a little more blue during winter time. The disorder is four times more common in women than in men, and younger persons seem to be at higher risk. It generally starts in people younger than 20 (years old)."
Some symptoms of SAD include sadness, easy irritability and excessive fatigue. More serious cases may include severe anxiety, poor concentration, aches and pains. According to Thomas, another symptom that might qualify depression as seasonal pattern - besides having an onset during winter months - is change in appetite.
"Usually there's a craving for carbs mostly sweet or starchy food," she said. "There's also weight gain. In depression you can have weight loss or weight gain but in seasonal disorders there's usually weight gain."
SAD sufferers may crave carbohydrates as a result of the lack of serotonin secretions by the brain during the dimly lit months. According to the NMHA, light therapy is among the best treatments for SAD because it has been shown to suppress the brain's secretion of melatonin, the chemical that is secreted at bedtime for normal people and that goes into overdrive in the case of SAD sufferers.
"There are different treatments, one thing that's been used is what they call light therapy," said Thomas. "You can do it in the doctors office, sometimes there is a light visor that you can wear. There are also more conventional treatments like medication and psychotherapy. It seems like light therapy is sometimes preferred rather than putting someone on medication."
Thomas said people living in northern states are seven times as likely to suffer from SAD.
UB students' age and location puts them in just the right demographic for SAD.
While most do not suffer from full-blown Seasonal Affective Disorder, some students said they notice a serious change in their general mood during the winter months.
"When the sky is gray and the outdoor look is unfriendly, I'm definitely not in as good a mood as I would be if the sun were shining," said Andrew Weiss, a freshman business major. "It's subconscious, I wont even be thinking that it's ugly outside but I'll find that I'm less ambition and more cranky."
According to Thomas, while students like Weiss might not be SAD sufferers, they are exhibiting mild symptoms of the ailment.
"Some people may experience milder cases which may not require treatment. It's a little common for people to feel a little more depressed during the winter months," she said, "but that doesn't necessarily mean that they have a depressive disorder."
Prateek Pareek, a freshman mechanical engineering major, said the first couple of weeks of winter are hardest for him.
" I become lazy during the winter. I sleep a lot, this last week it's been getting colder and I missed a few of my morning classes," he said. "But after one or two weeks I'm usually fine."
Not all northerners suffer from depression when the snowy months roll in.
Tracy Colvin, a freshman architecture major, smiled and shrugged at the mention of winter blues.
"I like the summer but I like winter too," she said. "I like the snow, if you go play in the snow (the winter gloom) won't affect your mood."
Some students believe that the moods of the student population have less to do with lighting and more to do with the requirements of student life.
"The wind sucks, but it doesn't down my spirits," said Derek Baker, a sophomore architecture major. "I guess you are happier during the summer but that's just because it's warmer. It's also the events around you too, in the summer you don't have school, finals week is during winter, that might be why people are depressed."
While seeking help from a mental health specialist is the thing to do for those who are concerned that they might be afflicted with SAD, Thomas has a few basic suggestions for those who find themselves in poor humor during the winter months.
"For those people scheduling activities, getting out with friends and finding ways to spend time doing fun things might be effective," she said.
