Depression is a mental illness that is much discussed these days. Nevertheless, many people still know too little about what exactly depression is and what you can do to treat it. Often people know that depression has to do with a persistent depressed mood, but for many it is difficult to identify additional symptoms.
How does the season affect depression?
Moreover, there are many factors, which affect the onset, maintenance and even treatment of depression. One example of factors, which affect depression, is the climate. With the arrival of spring, you will probably notice that people are more cheerful and that the percentage of people who sign up for treatment for depression is lower than it is in winter. This link can be explained by several points.
A first point is the shorter presence of the sun during winter. Since the sun is an important source of vitamin D, its presence may have a positive impact on our mood. In fact, research shows a positive link between vitamin D and the development of depression: a deficiency in vitamin D increases the risk of depression. Moreover, the sun is an important source of light. Nowadays, there are various forms of light therapy, which, for example, require the patient to wear "light glasses" for 15 minutes a day.
Besides the sun, we also notice a different rhythm of life during summer and winter, for example. During summer, we are more likely to be more active, stay up longer, and nevertheless feel less tired. Winter, on the other hand, is often characterized as a period of fatigue, sitting still and sleeping problems.
Depression? How do you treat depression?
15Minutes4Me.com is an online self-help program developed by doctors and psychologists to guide you daily from home in addressing your depression symptoms. Using therapeutic techniques, you can spend 15 minutes a day from home reducing your current depression symptoms, learning what makes you happy and doing relapse prevention so that depression is less likely in the future.
Depression? Take the test!
Would you like to know to what extent certain depression symptoms interfere with your daily functioning? Then take the free depression test here!
