In the summer of 1958, American rock and roll legend Eddie Cochran released “Summertime Blues,” a lively song about a teenager feeling sad about spending the summer working a low-paying job with long hours instead of driving around with his girlfriend. The name and the chorus of this song, which would later be covered by everyone from The Who to Alan Jackson, lightheartedly describes a condition that sounds like a contradiction; after all, we seldom associate sunny days with the blues, but behavioral researchers that seasonal affective disorder is not a condition limited to the cold days of winter.

When Cochran wrote “Summertime Blues,” seasonal affective disorder was not yet part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Formal research and discussion of this condition started in the 1980s, and it was not until 1993 that it became known outside of clinical circles with the release of the book, “Winter Blues” by Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal. If the title of this book makes you think that depression is more frequent in the winter, you are absolutely correct; however, 1.4% of the population of Florida, which is known as the Sunshine State for climatological reasons, suffers from seasonal affective disorder.

The majority of individuals who deal with this disorder may present a range of symptoms related to anxiety and depression when seasons change, but they seem to do pretty well the rest of the year. It should not be surprising to learn that winter exacerbates depression in many people; when temperatures drop to the point of making us stay inside to stay warm, we start to feel different. We may choose to sleep earlier, but we may also be tempted to stay in bed longer because we lack emotional energy, and we can’t rely on the weather to improve how we feel. We may even engage in overeating as a way to cope with the winter blues.

Seasonal affective disorder during the summer is trickier, at least for Americans, because we are conditioned to think about being out of school, going on vacations, and having fun. Feeling blue during the summer is a condition that presents symptoms opposite to winter depression. We may lose weight because of diminished appetites, and we may feel more anxious and irritable than melancholic. Instead of oversleeping, we may suffer from insomnia and agitation.

Research into the positive impact of nice sunny weather shows that spending at least 30 minutes outside each day can go a long way to improving our mood, memory, and overall cognitive state. For patients who deal with depression or anxiety, outdoor summer activities can be a blessing, but this should not be a reason to forego existing prescriptions. Patients who stop taking medications for ADHD or depression just because they see the sun shining are more likely to fall into seasonal affective disorder and feel the summertime blues.

Prescriptions for mental health conditions should never be ignored or modified without getting a medical opinion first. If you find that seasonal weather patterns affect your mood even with prescription medications, you may be a candidate for ketamine infusion therapy. Contact our office today and we would be happy to answer any of your questions related to ketamine and mental health treatments.

 

Contact VIP Ketamine Clinics

If you are curious about ketamine and want to find out if you’re a candidate, please reach out to us using the brief form below! We are happy to answer your questions and point you in the direction of health and hope.