In the winter in Kentucky Mother Nature tends to throw in the unexpected, ranging anywhere from blizzards to flash flooding, and even the occasional January tornado.
What people don’t normally associate with these months is mental illnesses, such as seasonal affective disorder.
Seasonal affective disorder is a mental disorder commonly caused by a change of the seasons.
SAD has nicknames such as cabin fever, the blues and down in the dumps.
According to Psychology Professor William Pfohl, SAD is one of the categories of depression. It affects 5-8 percent of the general adult population in the United States, and can occur in both winter and summer months.
“One of the reasons why students could be suffering from SAD is that they get less sunlight due to their schedules getting messed up,” Pfohl said.
Pfohl said that these months are the primary causes because sunlight varies. The summer months have too much and winter months don’t provide enough.
Students who sleep in late and go about their day during the winter solstice are more affected. This is caused by the time changes as well as the earths rotation on its axis.
Symptoms for SAD are the same symptoms as depression, but are centered around the months of November through April, when the days are shorter.
Paducah freshman Landon Baker has had a history with depression.
Baker said he was diagnosed with depression in about eighth or ninth grade because of family problems.
“It wasn’t a big thing, but it leaves its marks and scars still,” he said.
Baker said he thinks seasonal depression could affect him, but he hasn’t really noticed it before.
The active routine that Baker has enables him to get the minimum of 30 minutes of sunshine that is recommended daily.
Owensboro senior Melanie Saalwaechter said she thinks a lot of problems with depression are caused by the effects of cold and confinement.
“I think that people being cooped up because of the weather, the icy roads and such, could cause some problems for people,” said Saalwaechter.
Pfohl said one of the most common treatments for this disorder is light therapy. People can purchase specialty lamps to help them bring a balance back to their bodies. The lamp enables the production of the necessary proteins and vitamins. He says that 30 minutes of sunlight a day should be plenty.
Inclement weather is also a factor for students.
Saalwaechter said that she hasn’t been able to get together with classmates to work on group projects, which is stressful for her.
Saalwaechter also thinks the holiday season hype could possibly affect how people react to stress.
Louisville senior Michael Ferguson is in agreement with Saalwaechter.
Ferguson said that loneliness and family could have an impact on the possibility of depression.
“Family has a lot to do with the seasonal depression because they are your main support,” he said.
Baker said he believes everyone has been depressed at least one point in their life.
“I guess everybody has signs of depression,” he said. “It’s just a phase of life I suppose.”
Yet not everyone is diagnosed as being depressed, Baker said. It’s just hard to find people who have continual periods of depression.
Reach Eric Isbell at diversions@chherald.com.
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