2024-01-08 14:38:00
Kim Ji-yong, director of Yonsei Well Psychiatry Clinic
Personally, I have loved winter since I was young. But now that I work as a psychiatrist, I no longer welcome the cold. As the cold wind blows, many patients’ symptoms begin to worsen. Even those who have almost completely improved say that they have difficulty getting out of bed due to sudden lethargy, and that their mood also sinks. Why do these changes occur? To conclude, this is a symptom of seasonal depression caused by changes in sunlight.
Dr. Rosenthal of the National Institute of Mental Health, who moved from South Africa to New York in the 1980s, felt a change that had never occurred before. He felt lethargic and less productive in the winter, but felt that he returned to his usual self when spring came, and began research under the hypothesis that changes in sunlight were the cause. This hypothesis was supported by the fact that the prevalence of seasonal depression differed by region in the United States. In Florida, which is close to the equator and does not have cold winters, only 1% of people experience seasonal depression, while in Alaska, 9% of people suffer from seasonal depression. It’s not just the results in the US. Northern European countries, famous for having the highest happiness index, may seem far from depression, but the reality is different.
If you are suffering from the lethargy and depression that comes with the cold, we will tell you some ways to help you overcome it. First and foremost, the most important thing is to increase the amount of sunlight. This is because sunlight directly affects the activity of serotonin in the brain, a neurotransmitter responsible for mood regulation. Although outdoor activities will naturally decrease due to the cold, you should still secure time in the sun as much as possible. Phototherapy devices that artificially provide light have also been proven effective in numerous studies. You can use commercially available devices, but the light must be at least 10,000 Lux or more, and even if you do not look at the light directly, you can sit one step away and spend at least 30 minutes. Exposure to light early in the day, before 10 a.m. at the latest, is most effective.
Next is to increase your vitamin D intake. Vitamin D is also naturally synthesized in our body through sunlight, and this vitamin D is involved in serotonin synthesis. If you don’t have enough time to get sunlight, you can try preventing seasonal depression by consuming vitamin D.
Lastly, it is a mindset that naturally accepts the changes that come with the season to some extent. Despite being located in the Arctic Circle, the Tromsø region in Norway has a particularly low incidence of seasonal depression. Researchers say they discovered that the people of the region do not try to survive the winter and live the same way as other seasons, but rather enjoy the period with activities that can only be done in winter. If you think about it, isn’t it our excessive expectations and greed to think that we should be as productive as the rest of the season even in this winter, when the activity of all animals and plants decreases? I look forward to a winter where we can all relax with a more generous heart.
※Jiyong Kim, director of Yonsei Well Psychiatry Clinic, has been introducing mental health information by opening the YouTube channel ‘Psychiatrist Brain Rich’ in January 2019, starting with a podcast in 2017. As of September, the number of subscribers to the channel was approximately 189,000. He is also the author of the essay ‘Accidentally a Psychiatrist’.
Director Kim’s ‘Psychiatrists say why you feel heavy in winter & what is the best prevention?’ (https://youtu.be/rF-gENoP2p0?si=VyRqOyh-98trq7qL)
Kim Ji-yong, director of Yonsei Well Psychiatry Clinic
1704735367
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