Be wary of seasonal depression

As fall and winter approaches, seasonal depression also appears. Millions of people are affected by this psychological disorder every year, especially students.

The main reason for seasonal depression for most people is because of the time change. The time change obviously causes nights to become darker earlier in the evening, and the sun doesn’t come back up until late in the morning. Darker settings and colder weather can interfere with your serotonin levels and affect your mood.

There are many symptoms of seasonal depression. Having the feeling of sadness, losing interest or motivation in the things you usually love to do, constantly feeling exhausted, etc. are just a few of the hints that you are fighting seasonal depression. The most severe symptom that is known is having suicidal thoughts. All symptoms can lead to the scariest time of your life, but suicidal thoughts is not only freightening for yourself, but also for the people who truly care about you.

Seasonal depression can lead people to trying to find ways to cope even if these actions are unsafe or addictive (such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and using other substances that are not supposed to be in your anatomy), and it can lead to a serious addiction. Addiction can affect not only your present-day life, but your future self as well.

Seasonal depression and other mental disorders aren’t like dust particles you can just brush off. If you feel like you’re constantly fighting exhaustion and you’re going day by day doing the bare minimum just to try to get through the day itself, try to go out and get help. Telling someone the issues you are going through is probably one of the hardest things to do for some. Also, you may feel alone, but trust me, there are people out there who care about you and who want to hear what you need to say. Don’t feel like you have to deal with your negative mentality all by yourself. There are professionals very passionate about mental health who want to make sure you’re OK.

There are so many resources out there and a few numbers to call to get you the help you need. The suggested take is to reach out to someone as soon as the feeling of any of the symptoms start to affect you. If you feel like you can’t talk to anyone you may be close with, the many sources on the internet or the phone number you can call are more than happy to sit with you and listen to you talk for as long as you need to.

Students needing mental health care can contact Horizons Mental Health Center at 620-663-7595, and the 24-hour crisis number is 1-800-794-0163. Students can also dial 988 24 hours a day.

Tatum James is a Jetmore freshman studying journalism.

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