Everything is growing and the sun is shining, but you feel so tired?
Seasonal depression is high, experts teach you how to stay away
Our reporter He Lina trainee reporter Xu Ziying correspondent Zhou Runtao Wang Wenting Li Bin
On March 1, Hangzhou officially announced the beginning of spring.
However, in this season of growth, in the psychiatry departments of many hospitals in Hangzhou, more and more patients went to the doctor due to low mood and depression.
A reporter from the Qianjiang Evening News learned that among the patients in the clinical psychology department of a hospital in Hangzhou, 5 out of 10 people are seasonal depression; In the outpatient clinic of Tan Zhonglin, director of the Disability Department, there are 110 patients in the outpatient clinic for four and a half days a week, and the plus sign has become the norm.
Why are so many people feeling down in the spring?
Two experts decipher seasonal depression through real clinical stories.
Feeling "so tired" when winter and spring change
Maybe seasonal depression
Ms. Wang (pseudonym) is an employee of a company in Hangzhou. She was depressed after only one week of work after the Spring Festival holiday.
According to Ms. Wang's description, years ago, she always felt that life was dull and uninteresting, her brain reaction slowed down, her memory deteriorated, she often made mistakes at work, she turned around and forgot what had just happened, her depressed mood could not be relieved, and even affected diet and sleep.
Ms. Wang tried to "play chicken blood" for herself, but she could only maintain a state of full energy for a day or two, and then she felt "tired" again.
Ms. Wang has also sought psychological counseling. By talking about her troubles and receiving advice from a counselor, she feels a lot better, but this good mood did not last long.
After the Spring Festival holiday, Ms. Wang, who returned to work, was still unable to adjust her depression. Especially a while ago, she was in a worse mood when she saw continuous rain every day when she opened her eyes.
Finally, Ms. Wang came to the Clinical Psychology Department of the First Hospital of Hangzhou for treatment.
After receiving the consultation, Dr. Gao Zhihan from the Chengbei Campus judged that Ms. Wang was in a bad mood, easy fatigue, loss of appetite, and poor sleep quality due to seasonal changes, work pressure and other reasons, which is a typical symptom of seasonal depression.
Dr. Gao gave her symptomatic drug treatment, after which Ms. Wang's symptoms eased and her condition gradually improved.
Seasonal depression often lasts into late winter and early spring
The impact of seasonal changes on mood cannot be ignored
The causes of seasonal depression are closely related to changes in the environment.
"With the change of sunshine time, some people who are more sensitive to the environment have changes in hormone secretion in their bodies. Such hormone changes are inextricably linked with mood. This change often occurs in autumn and winter, and sometimes lasts until winter. Late spring and early spring." Gao Zhihan said.
Tan Zhonglin also believes that the seasons and people's emotions are closely related, but many people do not fully understand and pay enough attention to this, "especially when modern science and technology are so advanced, for example: air conditioners can adjust the temperature and heat, so, A lot of people think that climate impacts on humans are gone, but they're wrong."
Tan Zhonglin revealed that since the hospital started working normally on February 7, he has had four and a half days of outpatient clinics a week. Except for the outpatient clinic on the first day, which was on time, all outpatient clinics in recent weeks have been delayed by an hour or even two hours. , it has become the norm to sign up for patients who come to see a doctor.
"I normally issue 20 outpatient numbers each time, but recently there are too many patients, and sometimes I add five or six additional numbers. I can see 110 patients in four outpatient clinics a week, which shows people's emotions in recent times. The fluctuations are not small." Tan Zhonglin said.
The symptoms of seasonal depression are actually the same as the symptoms of depression, mainly: low mood, loss of interest, lack of pleasure, lack of motivation, sleep, appetite, weight gain or loss, irritability, severe or even negative thoughts or extreme behaviors Wait.
Mood changes are influenced by many factors
Patients are not advised to stop taking the drug on their own in early spring
Tan Zhonglin said that emotional changes are often the result of a combination of factors, including both internal and external factors, such as changes in seasonal climate, working environment and living environment.
If you have had a depressive episode in the past, you need to be more careful.
Ms. Zhao (pseudonym), 29, has been seeing a doctor at Tan Zhonglin for nearly four years. Her depression has recovered well in the past year, and she has started to reduce her medication.
However, just in November last year, during her follow-up visit, Ms. Zhao said that her depression had inexplicably worsened: she had difficulty concentrating at work, and her work efficiency decreased; she had insomnia, and woke up many times at night; she was irritable and lost her temper to her family. increase, and it is difficult to control.
It is understood that there are multiple reasons for Ms. Zhao's depression. In addition to the changes in hormone secretion in the body caused by the cold and cold weather in winter, there are also changes in her working environment. Due to post adjustment, she was replaced by a new department, and she was not adapted to the new environment. , with regret and regret.
"Since November last year, her sentiment curve has been in a downward phase, reaching the bottom in January this year; it just bottomed out in February, but the sentiment is still low now, which should be affected by the continuous rainfall and cooling in the past few weeks. "Tan Zhonglin said that Ms. Zhao is still under treatment.
Tan Zhonglin said that seasonal changes may lead to aggravation of the condition of patients with depression. Generally, patients are advised not to reduce or stop medication by themselves in autumn, winter, early spring and other seasons, and it is best not to change their living and working environments to prevent the disease from recurring.
Stay away from seasonal depression
Remember these three points
1. Get more sun
Changes in sunlight exposure time in winter will affect the synthesis and secretion of chemical substances in the human body, which may cause human circadian rhythm disorders and endocrine disorders.
For seasonal depression caused by a lack of light, doctors often use light therapy to treat it.
Therefore, when we are at home or in the office, we can often open the curtains to bask in the sun.
Even if it's cloudy, you can go outside to get more light into your body.
2. Eat a balanced diet
Avoid eating a lot of fried foods or high-sugar, high-calorie foods because of bad mood. You can eat more vegetables, fruits and grains, and take in sufficient vitamins and minerals to maintain a balanced nutrition in the body.
Foods rich in tyrosine can increase the secretion of the "happy messenger" serotonin, such as bananas, milk, chocolate, citrus, animal liver, etc.
Studies have also shown that moderate intake of sugar can improve depression, but people with high blood sugar and diabetes should be cautious.
3. Moderate exercise
Exercise is not only good for your body, it is also good for your mental health.
Make sure to exercise 2-3 times a week for 30-60 minutes each time.
According to the individual's physique, if you are not suitable for strenuous exercise, you can also choose a relaxing exercise such as walking and tai chi.
Finally, the two experts also reminded that if you have been depressed for a long time in work and life and cannot get better, or encounter serious psychological problems, you must not "hold it hard", and you should go to a regular hospital to seek specialists in time. Doctor's help.