The Truth About SPRING Seasonal Depression (No, You’re not Just Imagining It).

The following content is not medical advice. It is for informational purposes only, and a matter of personal opinion.

HOWEVER, you will find links and resources that will direct you to medical and research professionals who have published data on the subject being discussed.

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You hear about it thousands of times throughout the year.

Especially given our long and “brutal” winters. Seasonal Affective Disorder!!

I’ve never had it. Because, I thought, until a couple of years ago that it EXCLUSIVELY happened in the fall and winter. The “Winter-Blues”. It took awhile to figure out what I was going through every single spring. Then I finally got curious, and got mean, and hit research mode.

SPRING Seasonal Affective Disorder:

You’ve heard of the winter blues but what about summer depression?

Spring Can Bring Showers of Depression

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Typically, We Only Hear About:

-Seasonal Affective Disorder S.A.D. (meaning Fall-Winter)

-Winter Blues

But if You Search for it, You’ll Find SPRING Seasonal Affective Disorder Referred to as:

-Summer Depression

-Spring-Onset-S.A.D.

-Summer Seasonal-Affective-Disorder

Now, pair that little-discussed phenomena with this often belittled statistical fact: most suicides happen in…the spring. Not Christmas, sorry.

Sad in the Spring? What To Do When Spring Brings Showers of Sadness

Suicide Rates Spike in Spring, Not Winter

Symptoms of mental illness often become worse during the spring season. For patients with mood disorders, the phrase “spring fever” has a different meaning. Previous studies have reported that the incidence of mania peaks during the spring in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres [1]. Many studies have indicated that suicide rates also peak during the spring season [2]. It has been suggested that the sudden increase in the duration and amount of sunlight is a possible cause of these phenomena. However, the mechanisms underlying the peak in incidence of mania and suicide during the spring season are unclear and remain to be elucidated.

Most studies examining seasonality effects report a consistent increase in suicides and suicide attempts during spring and early summer [8,9,10]. Importantly, little theoretical and empirical advancement has been made to explain why suicides rise in spring and early summer. Our study aimed to test a potential mechanism through which negative cognitions in winter may exert lagged effects on suicidal behavior in spring.

For Suicides, Spring and Summer are the Cruelest Months - Not Winter

Springtime Peaks and Christmas Troughs: A National Longitudinal Population-Based Study into Suicide Incidence Time Trends in the Netherlands

Do suicide attempts occur more frequently in the spring too? A systematic review and rhythmic analysis

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My Personal Thoughts:

Friendly reminder, these are literally, my own personal opinions here. They are surely only a layer of discussion, and are completely open to any disagreement, curiosities, questions, etc. This is NOT medical advice. In fact, “spring-onset seasonal affective disorder is considered “rare” as it is”. So the whole world is just beginning to scratch the surface on this subject.

It is well known that there is a hardwired individual / genetic predilection for different types of climates based on what kind of person you are (that is open to some adaptability for some, up to different points).

Thermal homeostasis (or Thermalregulation) is actually INCREDIBLY variable from person to person whether it be a so-called neuro-typical person, or especially for certain other types of people. Like people that fall within the schizophrenic spectrum, autistic-spectrum, strange genetic types involving cortisol-spike phenomena related to cold exposure, people with dysregulated blood-pressure, electrolyte deficiencies, different varieties of body-composition, etc.

Ever heard of Wim Hoff the “Ice Man”? Well, it’s true that breathing-exercises (and some other little tricks) can adapt a person to extreme cold or heat, BUT, some people are born with an in-born extreme tolerance to one or the other. I personally think winters in northern Michigan are MUCH MORE uncomfortable, depression, cold-feeling, and all around horrible when compared to here in Fairbanks. Yet, in 8th grade, I would spend all recess outside in a t-shirt. I wasn’t just putting on an act. For most of my life, I’ve had a natural, high tolerance for cold, and seem to always fall apart in the summer months. Humidity makes it soooo much worse, so I prefer dry climates.

Back in the days of “Insane Asylums” they had a saying: “Cold Soothes the Insane” (meaning ice-baths). Well let me tell you, there is a hefty grain of truth in that statement (but like, I’m obviously not endorsing doing it forcefully, willy-nilly like they used to do). Myriad types of “neuro-atypical” people often feel soothed by winter temps / cold exposure while minimally clothed if clothed at all. There’s even research about the hormetic-benefits of cold exposure for anyone and everyone, even in regards to things like Brown Fat and Testosterone.

Altered brown fat thermoregulation and enhanced cold-induced thermogenesis in young, healthy, winter-swimming men

A positive relationship between ambient temperature and bipolar disorder identified using a national cohort of psychiatric inpatients

The influence of weather on the course of bipolar disorder: A systematic review

Thermoregulatory Fear of Harm Mood Disorder: In Depth Exploration of a Unique Juvenile-Onset Phenotype That Provides a Parsimonious Clinical Description of Certain Youths with Highly Comorbid Treatment Refractory Psychiatric Disorders

Elevated body temperature is associated with depressive symptoms: results from the TemPredict Study

Mental health and air temperature: Attributable risk analysis for schizophrenia hospital admissions in arid urban climates

Interoception abnormalities in schizophrenia: A review of preliminary evidence and an integration with Bayesian accounts of psychosis

The relationship of antipsychotic treatment with reduced brown adipose tissue activity in patients with schizophrenia

Thermoregulatory response to thermal challenge in seasonal affective disorder: A preliminary report

Autism and resistance to the change from winter to summer clothes

(Very important disclaimer here about “Autism Speaks”: who they are, the coherence of their ideas, and their goals, are seemingly fiercely debated online. I myself, and most of my family, are definitively autistic. I’m not endorsing them, but this concept is absolutely true (yet different or even a total non-issue for some autistic-spectrum people.)

Seasonal Depression Can Happen in Spring — Here’s Why and How to Cope

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There’s even an Alaskan historical correlate here. Waaaay back in the day, not too long ago really, Alaskan Native peoples witnessed thee-very-first indoor-heating installations.

They quickly observed: “Babies born in the heated buildings (versus outside, like since time-immemorial) are…”weaker”.”

There is a encyclopedic-amount of history about people’s from around the world’s abilities to withstand cold temps with minimal or even sometimes no “gear”. Use it or lose it, pretty much always.

Finally, Imagine This Just as a Thought-Exercise.

Every single pharmaceutical / prescription drug on the planet, and even an incredibly-wide range of skills, perceptions, natural substances etc, ALL come with the warning that our bodies adapt to dramatic biochemical changes in our circadian-homeostasis, at the hard-perceive-pace of weeks or months at a time. Shoot, even getting used to:

-clothing

-rooms / buildings

-smells

-noises

-and…..pretty much everything, by-default, require a period of adjustment

-EVERYONE has that one thing at home, work, in the car, etc, that “they don’t notice anymore”.

So, we go from September to February-March-ish with minimal sunlight, low temps (not even counting social stimulation that may or may not be available, danger, ease of travel, functionality of infrastructure, etc), then all of a sudden: boom. Intense sunlight, longer hours of sunlight than the whole Lower-48, temperature-swings from -30 F or colder to +40 F or warmer, and those first two or so weeks are like a hit a strong drug. This matches up with the researched elevated levels of cortisol (and “seemingly certainly” a wide upregulation of everything excitatory in our body), but, our bodies were arranged for seven-ish months of a VERY different program. We go for walks, do more activities, get a little “manic”, but soon enough, some more than others, enter into this “spring-hibernation” mode and experience a week or two clinical lethargy and what feels like depression. Literally, virtually, the withdrawals associated with illicit substance use, you heard of those? It’s pretty much the same thing. A change that occurs quicker than our bodies’ homeostatic response can adjust to. Sometimes it’s days, sometimes, weeks, or even months. We’ve all heard of “unsustainable growth”. It’s really the same thing as “unsustainable energy”, back to the whole illicit drugs-thing. You get the extra energy in the short term, but pay for it at some point. Luckily, with spring-depression it’s just a natural, temporary, adjustment, yet, I feel like all the other related phenomena of wild ups-and-downs are of relevance in tracing out all the contours of this wild ride.

There is a somewhat rare and surprising correlate that I feel obligated to add on-top of all of this to really drive home the theme.

Basically, our bodies, minds, and beings, are EXTREMELY quick to adapt, accept, incorporate, etc, just about anything, into our “mental map of the world”. But, forgetting? That’s WAY harder. Think: P.T.S.D, or believe it or not, phantom limb syndrome.

Have you ever experienced the loss of a loved one, friend, or even animal-friend? I have. Most people who have all experience this stereotypical soul-stubbing moment: coming home, and without thinking, looking for, or, calling out to who is usually there. We go: “oh, that’s right, I forgot”. It’s not technically forgetting (which is a very specific thing), but we just haven’t re-organized our mind’s map of the world yet.

Well, those sudden, surprising, seasonal, long hours of sleep are actually doing something. It is NOT something to try to treat or eradciate. (in-fact, I’ll probably write an article about long-held fever-myths in the future). During sleep, our bodies heal, work, program, clean, organize, arrange, etc. Literally. Virtually. Don’t fight it. Give your body the time to make the adjustments it wants to make.

As for me, after a week-ish, every spring like clockwork, I wake up one morning and feel amazing. Admittedly, it’s easy to paranoidly wonder before that day: will I be like this forever? Probably not.

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At the end of the day, the powder-keg-elephant-in-the-room here, is that these seasonal swings (in addition to a great many things big and small, momentarily, and also through the decades), affect certain types of people waaaaay more than is currently recognized or accepted. Do you know and / or love someone like that? Or even just sort of life or tolerate? Well, they very well might not even know what’s going on with their own selves. Many medical professionals don’t even know or accept Spring Seasonal Affective Disorder as being real. Good luck even trying to have a thoughtful conversation about the clinical aspects, technical details, and nuances of Human Circadian Rhythm with…anyone really.

People often intro-project, think it’s fate, or think it’s some gargantuan-force that can’t be understood. They counterintuitively might not even need to hear all the mind-splintery details about the research that normally takes semesters at universities to compile. Even if they were told, they might not hear it. They might not need to. Perhaps all they need is a friend by their side, to go for a walk, run, to work out, make art, talk to someone, etc.

We more than anything else, perform mental-health-awareness in social-spaces and wear it like a t-shirt, but, when it comes time for the real work, people are afraid, embarrassed, insecure, volatile, just don’t know what to do, or even tacitly join the club of “Those Who Step Over the Missing Stair”, A.K.A the “Bad Samaritans”. And honestly, it’s rational to prioritize one’s own safety and stability given the unpredictability of trusting others.

Some Related Perspectives:

Ask yourself.

Can you remember a time in your life, whether long-ago, or, recent, where you learned something that was once thought to be impossible and / or not to exist?

Some examples I can think of:

-Even as much as tapping your head causes permanent death to neurons (false).

-There’s “no such thing as Non-Alcoholic-Fatty-Liver-Disease (false).

-Health is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT genetic (false).

-Type II Diabetes is an “irreversible, progressive, genetic “disease” (false).

-No skateboarder can ever or will ever perform a 900-degree spin (false, -Tony Hawk).

-Humans can not, and will not, ever fly (false).

-etc etc etc

Our entire history is a roller-coaster-symphony of impossibles’ and subsequent, contradictory-achievements. The discoveries (I like to think) far outnumber the “never-evers”.

Astonishingly-recently (and even sadly now), people would live their whole lives thinking they were the ONLY people that ever had a certain kind of “strange” thought, a strange dream, quirk, tic, etc. Maybe you’d get validation from a book from a long-dead author, or get lucky to meet a real person special enough to validate you.

Things That Seem to Work for Me and Others:

-Plan for it. Can you take time off? For me, this typically ALWAYS happens in within the same two weeks every year. DON’T tell yourself that you’ll “probably” be able to handle just as much regular, extra, or uniquely challenging tasks during this time. Cast the unnecessary overboard (but only conceptually, temporarily). Telling people you’re behind on work because of this thing called “spring-depression” is very sadly seemingly not as convincing as saying your dog ate your homework.

-Let the long-sleep-hours happen, but, after waking, go for a walk, a run, a sauna, a hot bath. DON’T start scrolling, don’t turn on the news. Don’t do the same exact thing that you did during your winter routine. Minimize your information and sensory inputs (we don’t realize how constant it’s become), gently relinquish whatever habits and patterns that you reasonably can, rearrange them, etc.

-Make an effort to find a completely new musician, movie, form of art, skill, something completely new to you. The body-wide-buzz of learning new things, finding something new and unexpected outside of your normal drag-netting, walking or driving somewhere random is always sure to lighten your mood.

-Consider researching a simple 24-hour water-fast. When fasting (just as during sleep), the body enters healing mode, and a fast “seems” to set the body up heal, adjust, etc, quicker.

-Plan some social interaction (IF that doesn’t drain you) in a way for it to be easy and safe and likely to happen. Maybe not a triathlon, maybe something more relaxing.

-Adopt, join, or even create some sort of spring ritual for yourself or with friends. Social, spiritual, religious, artistic, or otherwise hard-to-describe rituals (no, not meaning “black magic”. It could even be as gentle as “spring cleaning”, a hair-cut, etc). Any ole’ variety of annual ritual can HUGELY enhance, protect, or otherwise augment a person or groups physical and mental fortitude.

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Want to share your Spring Seasonal Affective Disorder Story? Have a suggestion for something that helps you or others? Send us a message?

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