As school starts back up, Oregon’s weather is transitioning back to gloomy, dark days. This change in weather is the reason behind seasonal affective disorder – or SAD. And although 5% of adults in the US suffer from the disorder, with symptoms typically lasting 40% of the year, we don’t talk about it nearly as much as we should. With fall and winter quickly approaching, students and teachers need to know more about the disorder and its effects.
The effects of SAD come from a biochemical imbalance in the brain caused by the drastic decrease of sunlight during winter and fall. This absence of sunlight tampers with our circadian rhythm as well as levels of essential chemicals, such as melatonin, serotonin and vitamin D. Memory, attentiveness and motivation are negatively impacted as extreme levels of depression and anxiety begin to take over. It’s yet another roadblock students will have to face while navigating their academic and social life amid a pandemic.
SAD can be especially punishing for first-time college students. First-years are being handed an enormous sense of independence and responsibility. And for students who are coming to Oregon from a sunny state, such as Arizona or California, the severe weather difference can come as a shock, increasing the chances of feeling symptoms associated with SAD.
High school allowed students to get comfortable with a routine, whereas college — now with online classes and asynchronous learning — doesn’t require a daily routine. Waking up later and staying inside for the majority of the day decreases your exposure to sunlight, amplifying the struggles that come with SAD.
Lily Wheeler, a fourth-year student at the University of Oregon, and JoJamba Matthews, a third-year graduate student at the University of North Dakota, who both have SAD. Wheeler said SAD is a “difficult thing to work through and can prevent students like me who are normally very hard workers from living up to their academic potential, since we just don’t have the motivation to function normally.”
Matthews explained how seasonal depression forces her to work extra hard during the summer. “[I] had to work through this past summer, when I had energy, to actually get to the point of being set up to finish by December,” she said. “Chasing daylight like that makes work and school just harder.”
Both agreed that instructors need to be aware and understanding about mental illnesses, especially during the fall and winter seasons. Being aware of the symptoms of SAD, along with other mental illnesses, allows teachers to be both an advocate and a support system for their students.
If you feel like you suffer from symptoms of SAD, don’t be afraid to seek help. I encourage you to create a schedule you can follow every day, exercise frequently — even if it’s in your dorm room — and look into investing in a sun light. Having a bad day every now and then is normal, but feeling an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and depression is not.
We need to work towards destigmatizing mental illness and seeking help. We strive to show others around us our independence and strength, and asking for help has morphed into a sign of weakness. But we can’t keep our strength up if unhappiness overwhelms us. The sun might be hiding behind clouds, but the world would get so much darker without you in it.