Bad weather conditions during the winter season cause bad mood and depression in what is known as winter depression, but the persistence of these feelings may indicate a real depression that requires psychological treatment.
German psychiatrist Eris Haute said that some people suffer from bad psychological and mood during the winter because of darkness, clouds, freezing cold and rain.
She explained that this condition is known medically as "seasonal affective disorder" and is known in the bike language as winter depression.
This disorder is caused by a lack of exposure to daylight, which leads to an imbalance of hormones. The lack of exposure to daylight increases the secretion of the hormone "melatonin", which leads to feeling tired and lethargic.
Other symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include mood impairment, rapid arousal, and severe hunger episodes.
To cope with the winter depression, Haute recommends hiking in the light of the day for half an hour a day. Daylight helps the body secrete the hormone of happiness, Serotonin, which stimulates the body and improves mood.
For his part, German psychiatrist Professor Ulrich Heijerl said that if daylight hiking does not work in the face of winter depression, then the doctor should be consulted, because these symptoms may indicate organic diseases such as hypothyroidism or vitamin B12 deficiency.
He added that these symptoms may also herald true depression, especially if they are accompanied by extreme sadness, despair, feelings of guilt, self-neglect, study or work, and neglect of hobbies and social relationships.
In this case, it is necessary to undergo psychological treatment, with the possibility of taking antidepressants, given that failure to treat true depression may lead the patient to think about committing suicide.