Seasonal Depression: The Science of SAD | Sci Guys Podcast

Do you feel sad in Winter? If so you might have SAD! No, seriously... Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern. If you want to know more I guess you'll just have to watch!
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References & Further Reading
www.nhs.uk/mental-health/cond...
www.nhs.uk/mental-health/cond...
www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publi...
www.mind.org.uk/information-s...
www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-...
www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-heal...)
www.psychiatry.org/patients-f...
medlineplus.gov/genetics/cond...
www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritio....
www.nhs.uk/medicines/melatoni....

[@SciGuys]

Do you have SAD?

[@Meeko4eve39]

Not been diagnosed with it. And I don't think I truly have it. But I have noticed that this year, for the first time in a good chunk of years, I do feel less hopeless/gloomy and feel less like I'm strictly in "survive until spring time" mode. I do think that when you are in a generally not so good place mentally/in life it just is also easier to be more affected by physically colder, darker, shorter days. Because your overall mindset is already so weighed down that features of the cold season just stand out negatively to you more obviously, too. So, no. I don't think I have SAD. But I do think that due to having been in an overall worse place before this year I also had a much more difficult time with the cold season before, too, or was simply just more easily affected.

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

It's very likely, but impossible to tell underneath my clinical depression which persists all year. I used to love autumn and winter growing up, but how I feel on the outside can be very different from what's going on inside my mind.

[@the_bandcamp_one]

i don't actually know cos it could be SAD or it could be that most my trauma happened in the winter so that just fucks with me seasonally

[@threeofeight197]

YESSSSS. I DREAD winter. 😢😢😢

[@gertjanoderkerk]

most likely, undiagnosed.

[@TheThingFromMars]

I never hear anyone talk about how amazing the intro is, and even though it has been stuck in my head for over a year I love it. This podcast helps to cure my SAD when ever it may come along.

[@TheThingFromMars]

I also love when Corey says "look into" because it sound like he's saying "Luke into" as if he wants Luke to climb into whatever he is describing.

[@ynthegoblin2664]

I have SAD in spring and summer. It took me 10 years to figure out cos it manifests as irritability and anger. Every year I was wondering why I felt furious by the time my birthday was rolling round. B12 helps for some reason.

[@AnxMa]

So refreshing when ppl are no longer reluctant to talk about mental health. From my xp; to anyone who's ever been a victim of hate / violence because of their appearance, gender, orientation, race : DO NOT ever let a hateful notion 'there's something wrong with me' sink in. Trust me, it's a recipe for self hatred and compulsive anxieties later on. When we suffer and we need a break, it's only natural to think: maybe if I wasn't 'different', if I was 'normal' I would be accepted. No, haters will always find something else to prey upon. I've always had kinda androgynous look, which was a fuel for bullies when I was growing up. I embraced it, used it to my advantage in my acting / modeling career, I was almost the face of Leon in these new Resident Evil games :)

[@fuck_youtube_handles]

perfect example of how something you were bullied for is sought after by others. you can never please everyone and i think lots of people need to hear that

[@AnxMa]

@@fuck_youtube_handles Hi, thanks so much for this feedback.

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

The points where Corry said, "Doesn't everyone want to do that?" referring to certain behaviors in winter. I think these should be emphasized, not downplayed, with regards to symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Mental disorders already carry a heavy stigma, and people are left feeling like there's something broken about them. Normalization can go a long way towards reducing this stigma, and encouraging people to come forward and seek help. I understand the reluctance to overdiagnose mental illnesses, but I would weigh this against the risk of people thinking they need to "tough it out" and "stop feeling sorry for themselves." I'm partial to the hypothesis that what we define as mental disorders today likely stem from survival adaptations in human evolutionary history. Therefore you should expect that people will want to eat more and rest more during the cold months. Our modern world does not account for or accommodate these behaviors, which is what turns them into disorders when they start to interfere with societal expectations for a normal functioning life.

[@indiaatalya8865]

Hey could you do one specifically on depression please? would really help me and a lot of people

[@BestFriendsWhoLiveTogether]

Hi, I am in the UK and have been taking melatonin tablets since I was 10 years old. It has to be prescribed by a psychiatrist but it’s not illegal - you just can’t buy it or get it from a GP

[@fiikahlo]

Winter can also be hard if you have CPTSD, because cold can be a huge trigger. Often being in danger/afraid/triggered causes blood vessels to constrict due to symphathetic nervous system activation, and that feeling of coldness can be subconsciously connected to the traumatizing experience. Hence feeling cold can trigger ptsd symptoms, like fight/flight/freeze and dissociation or worsen existing symptoms of depression and anxiety. It can help a lot to pay attention if coldness triggers symptoms and make sure that you have things available to quickly warm up like heated blankets and warm clothes etc.

[@youtubeuserremainsanonymou9022]

I like how you talk about SAD symptoms as on a spectrum and not always clinical much like with ADHD and autism traits. I recently explained this to my sister. It is all about when the cluster of traits interfere with life. I wonder if SAD has any cultural variation for threshold like ADHD has a higher threshold in France than in the United States.

[@thiel_spencer]

12:18 I would be curious to know if there are any known connections between eating disorders and SAD that affects you in the winter months as a result of the winter holidays where food is very abundant and is the focus of many celebrations... I know from my personal experience that the holiday are Not pleasant when you have eating disorders 🙃 just a thought, lol

[@Myysva]

Yes and I have also "regular" depression, cuz gotta cach 'em all. But seriously it's very interesting and treatment to it is viewed elsewhere. Here in Finland I feel its kind of viewed as part of life (it's really dark and miserable here in winter) and heavily linked to the lack of light. Also I have never heard anyone officially get diagnosed with it. Light therapy has been around for years but only in recent years have I heard vitamin d being linked to it. To be fair we are encouraged to take vitamin d supplements all year around. Did i mention we dont get too much sun here? 😅 Also yeap, i sleep with blackout curtains and have sunrise alarm. 🙈 And ofc I have SAD lamp (medically approved). Btw in my experience dealing with depression, I needeed much more lamptime than the recommended 30mins especially at the beginning. Nowdays I feel less is enough. Thanks for yet another educational and entertaining episode!

[@Alex-px5bz]

in my experience, although it isn't available over the counter, melatonin is pretty freely prescribed in the uk. I was put on it for sleep issues (likely relating to autism & ADHD) and know a lot of other neurodivergent people who've had the same. doses tend to be pretty low though: I was prescribed 2-4mg as a young adult and I think the average adult dose is around 5-6mg but I do know one person who was on 10mg. I find it pretty helpful tbh

[@Antony_Oscar]

I'm in Finland and you can buy the smaller doses in a supermarket or pharmacy with out a prescription, but the bigger doses are prescription only. I take prescripted 3mg melatonin every night and it definitely works for me, in like 30-60 minutes. If I forget to take it, I'll be up until 4am. I'm like 85% sure I'm ADHD or austistic+ADHD, but no diagnosis bc it's nearly impossible to get at the moment without paying thousands to go to a private doctor (my GP basically said, "Because you have a history of depression, if I made a referral they wouldn't take you to get diagnosed. If you can afford it, go to a private doctor")..

[@itwasthealiens01]

I live in the UK and I've been prescribed melatonin cos of sleep issues related to autism (I'm under 18)

[@navigating-the-void]

oh, hell yeah!

[@AlatheD]

I think I have "reverse" SAD. I function so much better in the winter months than the summer months. It would be interesting to find out if melatonin cycles work on the same timeline in people who have a later circadian rhythm. For example, my energy peak is very late at night (makes working the late shift or overnights easy for me), would my melatonin cycle be on the same time cycle as someone who peaks early in the morning?

[@chester1882]

Corry sitting like that all episode is the bi thing ever

[@TamiTea]

It's not only US, in Poland you can buy gummies, melatonin up to 5mg I think without presc :o

[@chester1882]

I have big gender sad

[@sophiehanson8100]

I work night what is this sun everyone keeps talking about haha I dye my hair fun and bright colours to make me feel better haha when the season change haha I would like to do what my friend does but I can't afford it but she gets tattoos haha xx

[@darasimpson1539]

Alexa play Blue Light by Mazzy Star

[@Brooklyn99432ofmd]

💕💖🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈😁💖💕😁✌️☮️✌️💖😁😁💖

[@threeofeight197]

Wow. I don’t understand British mentality. I don’t need the Nanny state to tell me how much Ibuprofen or melatonin I can buy!!! FREEDOM!!!

[@threeofeight197]

Honestly tho I do buy my ibuprofen in bulk. I have migraines so I go through a lot and I don’t like running out.

[@billyboybatman2412]

hehe pi views