Are the ‘Winter Blues’ Real?

Are the ‘Winter Blues’ real?

Check out this answer from Consensus:

The “winter blues” are indeed a real phenomenon, scientifically recognized as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This condition is influenced by a combination of genetic, environmental, and geographical factors, predominantly affecting women in regions with less sunlight during the winter months. The disorder is characterized by depressive episodes that recur annually and remit with the arrival of spring.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), commonly referred to as the “winter blues,” is a type of depression that occurs at a specific time of year, usually in the winter months. This condition is characterized by recurrent depressive episodes that typically remit in the spring.

Key Insights

• Prevalence and Demographics:
  • SAD affects approximately 5% of the global population annually, with episodes lasting around 3.9 months1.
  • Women, particularly those aged 20-50, are more likely to experience SAD, making up 60-90% of those affected1.
• Geographical and Environmental Factors:
  • SAD is more common in regions with less sunlight and colder winters1.
  • Populations in countries with high fish consumption, such as Iceland, have lower rates of SAD, possibly due to higher omega-3 fatty acid intake1.
• Genetic Factors:
  • There is a strong genetic component to SAD, with mutations in the melanopsin gene linked to the disorder. Individuals with two copies of this gene mutation are more likely to experience SAD1.
• Seasonal Triggers:
  • The onset of SAD symptoms is typically triggered by the darker winter months. A small percentage of people may experience similar symptoms in the summer due to heat and humidity1.

Are the ‘Winter Blues’ real?

Tim Jacob has answered Near Certain

An expert from Cardiff University in Neuroscience

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, the NHS and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a major depressive disorder that occurs at a specific time of year, in the winter months, hence the term “winter blues”. SAD is not considered a separate disorder but is a type of depression characterized by this recurrent seasonal pattern. The NHS estimates that one in 15 people suffer from SAD between September and April each year in the UK.

The question “Are the ‘Winter Blues’ real?” arises from an article by LoBello in 2016 claiming “No evidence of seasonal differences in depressive symptoms”. Rosenthal and his team first described SAD in 1984 and subsequently nearly 40 years of data have been accumulated the vast majority of which supports the existence of SAD. A recent article (2021) in the National Post gives a good overview of the identification of SAD, the development of our understanding of the disorder and its treatment.

Bright Light Therapy (BLT), has been proved to be an effective treatment for SAD and is now recognized as a first-line therapy. More recently, BLT has also been increasingly used as an experimental treatment in non-seasonal unipolar and bipolar depression.

Are the ‘Winter Blues’ real?

Timo Partonen has answered Near Certain

An expert from University of Helsinki in Psychiatry

Yes, they are real. However, speaking about winter blues in colloquial language may mix things up. The human tendency to experience seasonal changes in mood and behavior, also known as seasonality, is manifested to a different degree in individuals, ranging from the pathological end of this spectrum, namely patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), through the mildly pathological to the normal seasonality with no problem. SAD was originally defined as a condition in which depressive episodes emerge during fall or winter but disappear the following spring or summer. Usually, this pattern reoccurs rather regularly. Since then, two types of SAD have been described in the literature: winter SAD and summer SAD, of which the former is far more frequent. The milder conditions present similar but milder symptoms that do not impair functioning to a major degree, so that individuals are healthy but suffer from symptoms to some extent. I would call these milder conditions as winter blues and keep them as a concept separate from the two types of SAD. Screening for these symptoms usually asks, whether there have been changes in sleep duration, social activity, mood, weight, appetite, or energy level with the seasons. SAD can be verified with a structured clinical interview. A majority of patients with winter SAD develop, in addition to depressed or irritable mood, prolonged but unrefreshing sleep and subsequent daytime tiredness, increased appetite, weight gain, and carbohydrate craving during the winter months. Social and occupational difficulties are common. A minority of patients report of eating less, sleeping less, and losing weight. In addition to these symptoms, patients may suffer from more general symptoms of depression such as fatigue or loss of energy, pain, diminished interest or pleasure, and decreased libido. We have collected data on the seasonal changes in mood and behavior as part of three population-based health examination studies (n=14,871) in Finland as of 2000, 2011 and 2012. The majority that is 66% to 84% of our adults does not have a problem due to the seasonal changes in mood and behavior. But, 16% to 34% do have a problem, and 6% to 9% a problem severe enough to equal to winter blues. So, to answer, the Winter Blues are real.