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Scorching temperatures can challenge even the sunniest of dispositions -- but it makes some genuinely SAD.
Many of us can hardly wait for summer to arrive, but a small number of people are much happier when it's over. You've no doubt heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder, the wintertime mood disorder -- but some get SAD in the summer.
As hot weather approaches, those with summer SAD sleep less, eat less, and lose weight. They're extremely irritable and agitated. (It's the reverse for people with winter SAD, who sleep more, gain weight and crave high-carb foods, and tend to slow down and socially hibernate from late fall to early spring.)
Summer-onset depression is thought to affect less than 1 percent of the population, making it much rarer than the winter variety experienced by an estimated 5 percent of people.
In its most severe form, people with summer seasonal depression may be more at risk for suicide than cold-weather SAD, says Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School, who has studied both types and first helped discover their existence. "Suicide is more of a concern when people are depressed and agitated rather than depressed and lethargic," he explains.
When summer depression was first recognized in 1986, Rosenthal said that mental health professionals suspected the cause was the heat and humidity. That, he said, lent itself to the idea that a cold shower, air conditioning, swimming in cold lakes or heading North would relieve symptoms. Although these treatments for hot-weather depression are useful for some, they lack the staying power that light-box therapy has on winter SAD.
'The light is cutting though me like a knife'
A person with summer SAD can stay inside, crank up the AC, and darken the room but then go outside into the heat and it's as if they've never been treated, explains Rosenthal, the author of "Winter Blues."
Another idea is that it might be the light itself that's aggravating sufferers, whether it's the intensity of sunlight or the angle it's coming at people. One of Rosenthal's summer depression patients describes it as "feeling like the light is cutting though me like a knife."
Still another possibility is that there may be two kinds of warm-weather depression, says Dr. Alfred Lewy, a professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. He suggests there might be one group of people who have an unpleasant reaction to the heat and humidity -- a discomfort with the climate. But even in Portland where summers aren't that hot or humid, he's seen patients struggle with summer depression.
Lewy suspects the cause in a second group might be that the body's natural clock, it's circadian rhythms, are misaligning in summer. Instead of cueing to dawn, the longer daylight is causing some vulnerable people to cue to dusk. Cueing to dusk shortens the typical body clock and delays a person's sleep-wake cycle. This mismatch, theorizes Lewy, may be triggering depression.
He successfully treated a person with summer depression with a combination of getting early morning sunlight (30 to 60 minutes daily), which shifts the body clock forward, and low-dose melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep-wake cycles. Severe symptoms may also benefit from antidepressants.
Do you secretly -- or perhaps not-so-secretly -- loathe the summer months? What helps you get through them?
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OMG - I thought I was the only one who hated summer. So glad I am not alone. I live for winter - love snow, cold, ice, clouds, freezing rain. I detest 90 degree days with humidity.
Why anyone wants summer is beyond me.
My dream is to winter in NYC and summer in Alaska - cold all year round.
I find that exercise (in an air-conditioned, freezing room) really helps to keep the oxygen flowing, as I also "stop breathing" like another reader mentioned. Also -- and it sounds crazy -- but I changed my ringtone on my phone AND my alarm clock alarm to Christmas songs. Today I woke up to Judy Garland singing, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and dozed for a while, dreaming of snowflakes falling outside. For a few moments it wasn't 82 and humid! Things like this (and just politely bowing out of summer social activities) gets me through 'til September. In the Fall, I snap back into me again.
Wow, what interesting ideas! I've always loved Christmas too (well, the idea of it: a white Christmas, not an AZ one!), so I think I'll spend the rest of tonight singing Christmas carols :3
I also grew up in AZ and absolutely despised every moment of it. It's like living in the bowels of hell itself. I now live in sunny-but SANE temperatures in So.Cal and love it. But even out here, when it gets hot (85) I can feel myself getting instantly moody. This article makes a lot of sence to me-there are a few of us out there that just cannot tolerate all that sun and heat.
If you have summer SAD, it probably means that you're not very physically active and don't appreciate the warm weather. Typical person with SAD: overweight, suffering from the heat, doesn't want to go outside because it's too hot, stays inside so they can jack up the A/C.
Nice to know you've done your scientific sampling there, Alex. Correlation does not equal causation. Maybe if summer SADDERS are prone to the lifestyle and habits you describe it's because they hate the heat and sun so much, not vice versa. Also, why so much implied hostility and judgment? So we just all need to appreciate what you do and follow your exact example and the world would be a better place, huh? Problems solved, People!
wow, it was nice to see this, i always thought it was just me. i HATE summer when it's hot and there is no wind and i'm sweating and miserable. i get physically ill and i agree with another poster here that said they feel like the sun is cutting through them. i get depressed and just feel terrible, my body aches like i have the flu and it's really hard to function. once fall hits, i'm so happy, my mood changes just like that and i have so much more energy. so what is the treatment? a cloudy light with the sound of rain? i;'d love to know. if i could afford it, i;d go where it's cold right now. yuk
I grew up in Arizona and have summer SAD. I have always said that and now I know. The heat and sunlight are awful. I have moved to western Washington and it's great.
I can only hope that when I get out of AZ I'll feel the same way :3
Just love the winter! Snow is beautiful, those clear, very cold days are the best!!
I'm not alone.What a great feeling.I'm great from labour day right through the beginning of February, then the dread of 2 plus more months of winter shuts me down.My summer depression starts as soon as the weatherperson lets us know the humidity is here to stay.My parents actually moved from Toronto to Victoria BC to beat the humidity not the winters. Here's my problem all the people close to me including my employer have accepted my winter SAD, however summer sad is relatively new and all of us need to get this on the news in the papers all over the net to make people aware.
If not finding alternative medicine to be a bunch of 'huey', then try the ancient Indian ayurvedic medicine for SAD disorders.
I don't mind the heat of summer, but the endless hours of daylight drives me nuts! I have trouble going to bed and getting up early in the summer. It's like my brain says "okay, the sun just went down, so we have to be awake for a few more hours." The inability to get to sleep is of course the cause of the difficulty getting up in the morning. I have black-out curtains on all the windows in my house, but somehow I still know that it's not dark yet. I would love the summer if the sun only went down a couple of hours earlier!
I can't wait for the shorter and cooler days of fall to come!! I LOVE winter and how peaceful the evenings are with fresh snow on the ground. Someone mentioned on here how noisy summer is,and it's true ! People are out later because it's light out longer,so they are out cutting the grass ,kids out screaming and playing,bugs making noises and biting you,it's all very annoying.Give me a quiet winter evening anytime over a summer one! No bugs either!
i absolutely LOATHE summer and the sun. LOATHE it. i live in seattle where we get about 18 hours of daylight (dark around 10 and light around 4am). the one dr described it perfectly when he said (and i paraphrase) 'light cutting like a knife.' between the heat and the light, i become very depressed and irritable from march thru about september. it is a complete myth that seattle is cloudy and rainy all the time. from about may-september it is nonstop SUN, and because we have practically no humidity here (ok, one thing in our favour), the sun is so intense because of that lack of filtration. it's absolutely horrific. if i'm at a store or the bank and a clerk asks 'are you enjoying the sunshine?' i have long discarded the social pleasantries and answer with a resounding, 'NO.' on the rare day we have rain in the summer my energy goes up and i feel happy. but then the death orb returns.
Hi Monika, I feel the same way! I live in Arizona and, although our skies are surely a little bit different, we're both probably staring at the same ugly, blue color. If only we could have sunglasses that made the world dark and grey :3
I want to like summer, but there is something about being in a warm house in the winter. I have always likened it to a form of agoraphobia. The world seems to close in and get a lot smaller, the days are shorter, less to deal with. No picnic's. I find myself yearning for the dead of winter with two feet of fresh snow on the ground.
And another thing, bad winter weather has gotten me out of stuff I really didn't want to go to, far more things than any bright sunny summer day has!
I live in the "official" #2 most uncomfortable city in the entire US. For me, it's not only the countless back-to-back days of blazing sun and sweltering humidity, but also the topography. This place could depress nearly anyone. Needless to say, my move date is in a year and a half... and it can't come too soon.
Oh what a relief to know that there are others like me. I'm a Brit who spends a lot of time in Vancouver - I love the cool, grey days, the excuse to make a fire, the gentle light, the blissful quiet of a winter snow. As I write this, here in London we are having a heatwave. The light is glaring, the city is sweltering, I've lost counts of the rolls of excess flesh on display and the noise. And if I have to listen to one more moronic weather person gleefully describe the rising temperatures I will scream. I'm not married but realize more and more that how one reacts to heat and cold can be deal-breakers in intimate relationships. Am thinking of starting a dating service for us odd bods who prize snow above sun, gentle grey above searing blue and find falling leaves as lovely as spring flowers.
i'm so glad i'm not the only one. i loathe summer, i feel tired, my body aches all over, i'm very anxious, irritable, and depressed. i can't sleep at night and melatonin hasn't really helped. it has cost me jobs and i agree what the article said about feeling like the sun is just cutting right through me. i don't remember exactly when this started happening to me but it was in my adulthood and probably within the past 10 years. i'm 56. the only thing that has ever helped me is working out... hard. it relieves the anxiety and helps my mood but it doesn't last for a long time. in the summer i want to be in the gym for hours to get that "feeling" out of me.
i know this is what i have because if a storm comes in the summer and the wind starts blowing and it rains.. my mood can change completely within that amount of time. i almost wonder if it has something to do with the ions. i need to have negative ions around me. the air needs to move and the clouds need to be there. when fall comes my mood will totally change as well. and i love winter and early spring .. it's just that stagnant, hot, bright that makes me feel totally like @!$%#. i need to move to washington or oregon where it rains a lot.
I know how you feel, Patricia! When rain comes, the rest of my family hides away in my house, but I will just sit out in the cold, chilliness for hours. And then, when the rain ends, I get really sad again :P
after reading what joy said i started thinking. i have read that sad is related to light but i am the same way. i love the golden light of fall and i think it's more heat related. i was thinking though.. i have allergies as well and almost every spring for years i would get bronchitus so bad that i'd be in bed for 3 weeks. i started taking loratadine every day, it's kind of like claridin. i can't take a lot of allergy stuff because it makes me too wired. so.. i stopped getting bronchitus every year but i still felt like i had it without the cough. i was so tired and sick and i would still have to stay home from work for several days. it actually just happened this week.. it got hot and i got sick and went to the doctor where they did all this blood work and could find nothing. last night i was laying on the couch and we got a huge storm, the temp dropped from 90 to 40 in about a half hour. the wind was blowing like crazy and it started raining. i could literally feel it in my body.. the change that was taking place. my mood changed, my body stopped hurting and my energy returned. i went outside and just stood in the rain and breathed it in. the pollen count also dropped with this storm. today is chilly and windy and tainy, like a fall day and i feel great. so i wonder if it could be allergy related or even negative ion related since hot stagnant air is not going to release them. anyone else have anything like this happen? how many of you guys with this diorder have allergies along with it? there isn't a lot known about this and i just don't buy that it is light related, it has to be something else. also what have you found that helps? i can't deal with this and it's not an option for me to move at this time. has anyone had any success taking an antidepressant during the summer months?
You know, I just want to thank you all for sharing your stories on here. I have lived in Arizona my entire life and I have detested every moment of it. I am both light and heat sensitive, and I can't stand the gross, pastel-y color of our sky. For years I've been lusting after a cooler, cloudier place like New England or Canada; and I tell my mom that sunshine makes me sad, but she just doesn't want to believe me. As I am only sixteen, I am stuck here for two more years, but, I assure myself, the day after I graduate I am getting the hell out of here.
I wonder if I have this. I have a lot of the symptoms but I've never really noticed being depressed in my life but perhaps I am and don't know it. I hate the summer, it's so bright and SO HOT here in the South. I hate it!!! I have noticed more this summer that I'm having more insomnia issues than the past few summers. I've woken up in the night (rather morning because I can't fall asleep until 3am or later) which doesn't happen as much, but multiple times. I'm having more trouble falling asleep too. I also woke up then fell back asleep the other day for an hour and had a dream but when I woke up after that I felt like I hadn't gotten any sleep at all that night. I think it's because of the "absence of winter" this past year. I LOVE FALL, it is my favorite season. The climate is perfect and I get to wear my jacket again. I don't really mind winter that much, but I don't freezing cold temperatures. I liked this past winter but I think it's made this summer worse and definitely spring. I don't like spring that much, the change from cold to hot just seems to rapid compared to fall which seems more gradual? I wonder if school has anything to do with it too because there is more activity in the fall and winter for me than in the spring and summer months.
I really enjoyed the article. Bringing more awareness to Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder is always a good idea. I am a practicing therapist in Portland, Oregon and you'd be surprised how many clients I see that suffer from Summer Sad. <a href="">I recently wrote an article on Summer Sad</a> if you're interested in checking it out.
I am relieved to know that I am not alone. I live in Europe (UK and then Austria), and I have been finding the sunlight unbearable. I feel really depressed when its sunny (worse in the summer), and I have blocked all the light out in my house, but workplace is a problem. I almost feel like I stop thinking, and as soon it is raining I am fine. Most people are not understanding and I just try not to draw any attention. I feel so unsettled in the sunlight, and I find it difficult to get on with my life. I normally work during the night and late evenings, as for the last two years or so I have been able to choose my working hours. Its strange that I like rain particularly living in England and to some extent in Austria. I loose my thinking capacity when the temperature is over 23C (73F) and just want the night rush in take over the day.
I must have this- I loathe summer and love winter.
In summer it's too hot to sleep, you have to wear unflattering clothing and get sunburned like a lobster. In winter you can sleep in under cosy warm blankets, feel confident with your body in stylish layers and bask in the wind and snow.
I think the people who actually enjoy summer over winter are the ones with a mental issue.
I have had this since I was a teenager, but never realized it until the past couple of years. What bothers me is that most of the studies I have read like this never mention those of us who are sensitive not only to the heat and light, but for some of us the dryness. I live in SoCal in the valley and the dryness for my already dry eye condition and the lack of cool moisture (not hot humidity) makes me not only uncomfortable but fills me with anxiety and depression and irritability. I have a portable swamp cooler and three humidifiers to keep cool and counter act the dryness of our central air. I have to keep shades and curtains drawn a bit to get the right balance. So there are some of us who love the more humid cool air, too. With climate warming and so little change I am hoping to move north some day and right now at least towards the beach (where it is very expensive to live but worth it) to escape some of this. I was really hoping this year I would pass through to daylight savings time without incident, but sure enough, as soon as we passed it I became plagued with insomnia and headaches, depression and more anxiety overnight. I work in a natural health office where many of the natural products help me but just not enough. Sunny and hot? YUCK! ;)