Feeling summertime sadness? Seasonal affective disorder is not just a winter thing

LISTEN | Why summer SAD is very much a thing:

The Current17:53Struggling with the summer blues? You’re not alone

Many Canadians live for summer — when patios are full, pools are open and social calendars are packed.

But the heat, humidity and longer days can take a toll on Mark Manning’s mental health.

He’ll often spend one day every weekend hiding from summer in his apartment with all the window shades down to try and regulate his nervous system.

“I find it a lot easier to move through the world in winter than I do in summer,” the 38-year-old salesperson from Calgary told The Current.

While we tend to associate seasonal affective disorder (SAD) with winter, summer SAD — also known as reverse SAD — is a real struggle for some people. And it can be tough to deal with in a season where there’s so much pressure to make the most of the hot, sunny days.

Unlike the more commonly known winter version, which comes with a tendency to oversleep, overeat and socially withdraw, the core features of summer SAD are insomnia, reduced appetite, anxiety, restlessness and agitation, according to American psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal. Symptoms begin and end around the same time each year and typically last about four to five months.

WATCH | How to tell if you’re feeling summertime sadness:

Summertime sadness is a real thing. Here’s what you need to know

Changes in sunlight can upset our circadian rhythms — and disrupt our moods. A clinical psychologist explains how seasonal affective disorder can still happen in the summer.

Rosenthal, who led the team that coined the term SAD at the National Institutes of Health in the early ‘80s, suspects summer SAD will become more prevalent as we experience more extreme heat due to climate change.

“I definitely do think that as the world gets hotter, people who have trouble in the summer are going to have more trouble,” said Rosenthal. “It’s just that simple.”

Fear of missing out

August Winter has been dealing with summertime depression for many years, and says fear of missing out adds another layer to the struggle.

“It’s this general feeling of like I’m not a part of something that it seems like everyone else is really enjoying,” said the 30-year-old musician and filmmaker from Vancouver. “And I think at the end of the summer, if we hold this expectation that it should be the pinnacle of our year, it sparks that question of like, am I missing my life?”

Winter says there’s also a lack of awareness around summer SAD that can really grind on him.

A person sits eating fries near the water — August Winter, a musician and filmmaker from Vancouver, has been dealing with summertime depression for many years. (Submitted by August Winter)

Summer-onset major depression is not something practitioners are always attuned to since summer is when Canadians are expected to liven up, says Simon Sherry, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Dalhousie University.

“I’m quite convinced this pattern is often missed in a place like Canada.”

“This is a counter-stereotypic problem and I think it doesn’t garner a lot of empathy or compassion,” he said. “We don’t lean in and ask, because we’re not particularly well-trained and it doesn’t fit at all with our stereotypes and expectations.”

Those expectations weigh heavily on Manning, he says.

“The obligation that the entire world seems to throw at you, that when there’s no snow outside, when it’s not cold, you have to be out doing something… that adds a strange level of anxiety to a situation that already is difficult to move through for me.”

Part of the problem is, since summer SAD hasn’t been studied as much as winter SAD, it’s a lot less understood, Sherry says. But the leading culprit is believed to be the change in our exposure to sunlight — and how it can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm.

“[This] can result in the dysregulation of mood, it can result in the disturbance of sleep, it can change the regulation of hormones. So we’re talking about some very fundamental shifts within the biology of a human,” he said.

A man smiles for the camera — Summertime SAD can affect your mood and sleep, says clinical psychologist Simon Sherry. (Submitted by Simon Sherry)

Impacts of extreme heat on mental health

A growing number of studies indicate links between extreme heat exposure and mood and mental health crises.

Amruta Nori-Sarma, an assistant professor of environmental health and population sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, says high summertime temperatures have been associated with increasing risks of psychiatric emergency department visits.

“We think that extreme heat is maybe an exogenous stressor that’s exacerbating people’s pre-existing mental health conditions,” she said, adding that this research was only based on people who had access to commercial health insurance in the U.S., so is likely an undercount.

There are some people though who experience SAD without any pre-existing mental health conditions, according to Rosenthal. This was the case for he and his wife when they moved from South Africa to New York City in 1976 and endured their first true winter.

Nori-Sarma says sleep disruption caused by relentless heat can trigger a variety of mental illnesses, including mood disorders. Her research also suggests hotter temperatures might make certain medications less effective.

Right now, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are first-line treatments for depression and other mood disorders, but she says these can actually make people even more sensitive to the heat since they interfere with the body’s ability to thermoregulate.

A man stands in front of a black background — American psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal led the team that coined the term SAD at the National Institutes of Health in the early ‘80s. (Submitted by Norman Rosenthal)

Some of the things that can help

Since the research on summer SAD is sparse, Sherry says it can be difficult to treat. But there are ways to help mitigate some of the symptoms.

For those experiencing a fairly mild variant of the disorder, he encourages finding ways to modify your environment, whether it’s investing in blackout curtains or getting access to an air conditioner.

There’s also cognitive behavioural therapy, a short-term treatment meant to help people challenge unhelpful patterns of behaviour or thinking.

“In the winter, for example, we would teach people not to hide from winter, but to go public skating or go for a walk or go tobogganing or whatever else might bring enjoyment to your life. I think the same approach, which we might call behavioural activation, is important to summer seasonal affective disorder,” said Sherry.

“There are also forms of thinking that can prevent people from engaging in their world. So, ‘I can never go outside because it’s always hot and I’m always miserable.’ That may often be true, but not always true. And so sometimes we can challenge and restructure patterns of thinking that are too extreme.”

A man smiles for a photo. — Mark Manning, a salesperson from Calgary, says that summer can take a toll on his mental health. (Submitted by Mark Manning)

While Manning prefers to steer clear of crowded public parks and beaches, he says having a blow-up kiddie pool in the backyard is “fantastic.” He also finds cooling off in the movie theatre helpful and is making more of an effort to participate in the parts of summer that his friends and family enjoy.

“If you want people to understand and respect your struggles with summer, you should also try your best to understand and respect their love of summer,” he said.

For Winter, a big part of beating the summer blues has been learning to be more open with people about how this season affects him.

“It’s nice in a way to be able to actually be honest with my friends and be like, ‘Yeah, this is a harder time of year for me. And that’s OK.’”

If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to look for help: