Feeling world-weary as soon as summer arrives? 5 signs of summer blues! Doctors warn: Failure to treat may lead to disability
A Bamboo executive suffers from “EMO” every summer. A test revealed that it was actually seasonal depression
“Seasonal Depression” (also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder Syndrome, SAD) not only occurs in winter, but may also occur in summer when the sun is shining brightly? Dr. Zhou Bohan, the director of Zhou Bohan Psychosomatic Medicine Clinic, said that he had previously treated a 45-year-old senior executive of Zhu Branch. He had an impatient personality and strived for perfection in everything. He suffered from depression for the first time when he was in his forties.
After subsequent drug treatment, although the patient’s symptoms improved, even if he took the drug regularly, the depression would relapse every summer thereafter, which would even make it difficult for him to work and make him want to leave his job. He needed to constantly replace antidepressant drugs to deal with it; in the end, he had a “severe” problem with all antidepressant drugs. Drug resistance" progresses into “refractory depression”. Dean Zhou Bohan further pointed out that this condition belongs to “summer depression” among seasonal depression.
What are the symptoms of summer blues? If “5 signs” appear, seek medical attention as soon as possible
Dean Zhou Bohan explained that “winter depression” is more common among seasonal depression. The main cause of the disease is less sunshine in winter, which causes changes in neurotransmitters and hormones in the body. Patients are prone to depression, loss of motivation, and lethargy. Symptoms include sleepiness, increased appetite, preference for eating high-calorie foods, and loss of interest in all hobbies in life.
As for summer depression, symptoms such as depression, irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, and insomnia may occur. The main reasons are related to hot weather, humidity, or changes in eating habits. Dean Zhou Bohan reminded that seasonal depression may lead to severe disability no matter what season it occurs. Patients should pay attention to their own conditions and seek medical help when necessary.
How to treat summer blues? Doctors remind patients: 1. Go to less places
How to treat seasonal depression? Dean Zhou Bohan explained that for winter depression, nutritional supplements such as vitamin D can be moderately supplemented, and light therapy can also be used to prevent the occurrence of winter depression. For summer depression, it is recommended to maintain a cool environment, ventilation and proper perspiration, such as through Use air conditioners or fans to lower body temperature; reduce exposure time in hot weather, go to outdoor places less frequently, and reduce the frequency of outdoor activities.
Once you notice that depression symptoms are affecting your work, you need to use antidepressant drugs or combined with psychotherapy. If the drug treatment is not effective, Taiwan has also approved the use of “deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (deep TMS)” to treat refractory depression. , compared with traditional transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a single treatment with deep TMS can stimulate more depression-related locations in the brain and the stimulation depth is deeper, which can improve depression symptoms more effectively and quickly.
Finally, Dean Zhou Bohan reminded that because seasonal depression is difficult to predict, it is recommended that people with related medical conditions pay more attention to their own mood swings when autumn and winter or spring and summer alternate. If symptoms recur, be sure to discuss treatment methods with the attending physician or psychological counselor to help return to normal life as soon as possible.
