Winter blues: understanding seasonal affective disorder
Here are some things Georgia farmers are thankful for: rich soil, access to water, and a climate favorable for a long growing season.
Here’s another one, equally important: The folks in town. Bankers, lawyers, trucking companies, food processors, the list goes on and on, ending with consumers. Agriculture is Georgia’s largest economic sector, and that status depends on the cooperation between farmers in the state’s rural areas and their partners in town.
As we prepare to sit down with family and friends for Thanksgiving, Polk County Farm Bureau invites everyone to celebrate Farm-City Week, which wraps up today after starting on Nov. 14.
Farm-City Week highlights the relationship between the state’s farmers and their partners in urban areas who prepare, transport, market and retail the food and fiber farmers grow for the American consumer. Kiwanis International began Farm-City Week in 1955 to increase the understanding of the partnership between urban and rural residents. Farm days at schools, farm tours, banquets and mayoral proclamations are just a few of the activities that will be held in communities across Georgia to mark this annual event.
To celebrate Farm-City Week, the Polk County Farm Bureau attended the City Commissioners meeting on November 13, 2018 at 6 p.m. and was presented with Farm-City Proclamation signed by Jordan Hubbard, Chairman City Commission.
“Farmers are acutely aware that all businesses need support systems in order to thrive, and we certainly appreciate our friends inside the city limits for their contributions to our industry,” said Polk County Farm Bureau President James I. Casey. “Getting food, clothing and shelter to our consumers takes a cooperative effort.”
According to the University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development (CAED), food and fiber production and related processing directly and indirectly generated a total economic impact of $73.3 billion in 2016, accounting for 7.5 percent of the state’s economy. In addition, agriculture and related occupations supplied more than 383,600 jobs in 2016.
According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Georgia farmers led the nation in producing broilers, peanuts, pecans, and spring onions. Georgia was also in the top three production states for sixteen other commodities. In 2018, the top ten commodities by value grown in Georgia were broilers, cotton, eggs, timber, peanuts, beef, greenhouse plants, dairy, pecans and blueberries.
Farm-City Week is a great time to discuss how the economy impacts farmers and consumers. When you look at the price of groceries, note that farmers receive on average 15 cents out of every dollar spent on food at home and away from home, USDA statistics show. The rest of the food cost covers the expenses of wages and materials for food preparation, marketing, transportation and distribution, all of which have increased in price, too.
You may have seen a meme on Facebook, something to the effect of “I love when daylight saving time ends and it gets dark at 4:00 in the afternoon… said no one ever.” While it never gets dark quite that early in Georgia, the winter months mean we receive fewer hours of sunlight each day. And that lack of sunlight can affect some people’s mental health.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, seasonal affective disorder (coincidentally known by the acronym SAD) is a type of depression that can come and go with the seasons. SAD typically starts in the late fall and early winter and goes away during the spring and summer.
It’s not uncommon for people to get the winter blues or what we call cabin fever from being indoors more during winter months. A lower amount of physical activity – also not uncommon when it’s cold outside – can also affect mood.
But for some people, seasonal changes can result in actual depression.
One of the biggest factors related to SAD are called circadian rhythms – physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle in response to light and darkness in the environment. According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, these rhythms can influence sleep-wake cycles, hormone release, eating habits and other bodily functions. Irregular rhythms have been linked to chronic health conditions such as sleep disorders, obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder.
The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder are the same as symptoms of depression any other time of year. But with the time change, shorter days and the coming winter, it might be good to review these symptoms:
Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
Having low energy, feeling sluggish or agitated
Having problems with sleeping
Changes in appetite or weight
Difficulty concentrating Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty
Having thoughts of death or suicide
Of course, not everyone will experience SAD, but individuals that have existing depression or bipolar disorder may be more likely to experience new or worsening symptoms during winter months.
Other attributes that increase the risk of SAD include:
Being female. SAD is diagnosed four times more often in women than men.
Living far from the equator. SAD is more frequent in people who live far north or south of the equator, regions where winter daylight can be extremely limited. For example, only one percent of those who live in Florida experience SAD, compared with nine percent of people living in New England or Alaska.
Family history. People with a family history of other types of depression are more likely to develop SAD than people who do not have such a family history.
Age. Younger adults have a higher risk of SAD, and SAD has even been reported in children and teens.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) lists four main types of treatment for SAD. Two of them – medication and psychotherapy (counseling) – are fairly standard treatments for depression any time of year, and both are known to be effective.
NIMH also notes that vitamin D might help treat SAD, especially if used in combination with other therapies. The reasoning is that some people with SAD have low levels of vitamin D, one source of which is sunshine. Still, the effectiveness of vitamin D in treating SAD is inconclusive.
Finally, light therapy (also called phototherapy) has been a mainstay of treating SAD since the 1980s. Exposure to specific types of light during specific times of day can help treat symptoms of SAD during months when sunlight is less abundant.
Although there can be much to like during the winter – football playoffs, the holidays and the occasional beauty of fresh snow – the season can also make some people feel blue. If you think you may have seasonal affective disorder, talk to your doctor or mental health provider for help.
Melanie Dallas is a licensed professional counselor and CEO of Highland Rivers Health, which provides treatment and recovery services for individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders, and intellectual and developmental disabilities in a 12-county region of northwest Georgia that includes Bartow, Cherokee, Floyd, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk and Whitfield counties.