Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Hospital Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın made an evaluation on seasonal depression and its treatment.
Stating that seasonal depression is a kind of affective disorder, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın said, “It usually starts in autumn and can continue in winter. It is not in a separate diagnostic spectrum in the clinic, it is included in the diagnosis of depression. It has distinctive symptoms.” said.
Seasonal changes are an important trigger
Noting that seasonal changes are an important trigger for all diseases, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın said, “In general, it is seen that all diseases can be affected seasonally. In fact, Hippocrates said, 'The main cause of diseases is the changes in the seasons'. The link between seasonal changes and diseases has continued to be explored since Hippocrates. Of course, seasonal changes are an important trigger not only for depression but also for all diseases. However, as the amount of daylight decreases towards winter, the situation we call 'winter sadness' should not be confused with seasonal depression. Seasonal depression has its own distinctive symptoms.” he said.
Seasonal depression is more common
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın, who states that there is a regular onset time between the onset of depression and a certain time of the year, when the diagnostic features of seasonal depression are examined, said, “For example, depression occurs during seasonal transitions. However, external stressors such as relationship problems and livelihood problems should not be included in these situations. These depressions, which start at certain times of the year, also improve at certain times of the year. Seasonal depressions are more common than non-seasonal depressions and it is quite common for a person to suffer from this condition. In almost every season, a person can experience this situation.” he said.
Sleep and appetite are disrupted in seasonal depression
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın, who noted that there could be some differences between seasonal depression and depression, said, “In depression, there can be lack of pleasure, weariness, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, unhappiness, lack of energy, feeling of worthlessness, feeling guilty, difficulty in concentrating, inability to focus, and thoughts of death. However, the most disturbing conditions in seasonal depression are sleep and appetite. said. Taşkın said, “Decreased sleep and weight loss are more common in depression, while on the contrary, seasonal depression may cause excessive sleeping, overeating and weight gain. Of course, irregular emotions can also be seen.” he said.
If it is at a level that will impair the functionality of the person, beware!
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın, who stated that there may be some signs in understanding seasonal depression, said, “Especially the desire not to get out of bed, starting the day without energy, the desire to eat when we are full, emotional eating, weight gain, difficulty in clearing the mind, forgetfulness, decreased functionality, a lack of pleasure and a constant desire to sleep. visible. Hearing these symptoms, many people may say 'I have it', but the critical point here is that the person lives severely enough to impair his functionality.” said.
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın warned that “if the functionality of the person is impaired, this clinical picture can turn into severe depression types that can lead to suicide attempts” and said that people who experience these symptoms should definitely seek diagnosis and treatment.
Treatment should not be neglected
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın, who also touched on the treatment of seasonal depression, concluded his words as follows:
“Anyone who thinks they have seasonal depression should seek treatment before the depression progresses. He should not listen to the saying 'Everybody has depression', which is widely spoken in the colloquial language. Depression seriously reduces a person's quality of life. Along with the decrease in the quality of life of the person, functionality also decreases. If the person is diagnosed with seasonal depression when treatment is applied, the physician will only direct him to therapy, if necessary, medication and therapy. In therapy, individual planning will be made by reviewing the individual's needs and life stages. Saying to a depressed person, 'You do it yourself, get up, go for a walk, get up and do housework' is like asking someone with a broken leg to run a marathon. He should definitely be directed to treatment.”