Садржај
Autumn depression exists and you are sad about this …
Сезонски поремећај
Low temperatures especially affect women, young people and countries that live far from the equator
La back to routine It was not the main reason that made you feel bad. The arrival of јесен It is another of the main factors that fundamentally affect women, young people and people far from the equator. The Сезонски поремећај it exists and usually appears with the arrival of autumn and leaves with the end of winter, presenting the coldest months. Known initially as «зимски блуз», Has currently been described as a diagnostic entity of its own in the latest classification of mental illnesses. What happens when you suffer from this depression? The Dr. Fernández, specialist in psychiatry, affirms that the first symptoms appear with the reduction of energy and making you feel in a bad mood.
How is the APR presented?
Seasonal affective disorder presents as mood alterations similar to those that occur in depression (sadness, irritability, анхедониа, difficulties in concentration …) that usually begin in autumn-winter and are resolved with the arrival of spring. «A characteristic of this disorder is that it usually includes what we call atypical symptoms of depression: increased appetite (predominantly carbohydrates), hypersomnia and добијање на тежини. What makes the difference with other disorders is not the form of presentation, but the presentation time.
What internal phenomena occur?
«The main theory speaks of an alteration of melatonin. This hormone is related to сати светлости through receptors that come directly from the retina and stimulated in the absence of light. The alteration or increase in the secretion of this hormone is the origin of the symptoms of SAD, so to combat it it is necessary to raise a phototherapy treatment (which consists of putting light in the life of the affected person ”, says the specialist.
However, this is not the only symptom. Dr. Fernández differentiates another phenomenon that causes this disorder to exist. «There is also talk of a depletion (decrease in the amount of fluid contained in the body or in an organ) of serotonin and tryptophan (the amino acid that makes serotonin), marked by a seasonal pattern, serotonin being a neurotransmitter involved in most of the депресивни поремећаји. This theory would explain the greater appetite for carbohydrates and the consequent changes in weight that people with this depression often suffer. This hormone is the precursor used by Епифиза to synthesize melatonin ”, says the psychiatrist.
What role do melatonin and daylight hours play?
«Melatonin is a хормон which is being studied in many diseases, from autism spectrum disorders to Parkinson’s disease, ”says Dr. Fernández. This hormone, which is directly related to the hours of daylight throughout the day, seems to play a fundamental role in this disorder which, as is to be expected, is more frequent in Nordic countries, where the hours of daylight can even be limited to 6 hours a day, to the extent that artificial lighting is being used to simulate a sunrise that fool the brain. But the shortage of light does not affect only these countries: the geographical distribution of this disease not only depends on the amount of light, but on other factors such as pollution, cloudiness or the lack of light due to construction in large cities they could also increase the incidence of this disorder. At this point, the doctor highlights: “some studies have even taken into account, when distributing by age, that institutionalized elderly people tend to be exposed to lower levels of light due to the characteristics of the residences and because they go out less”, judgment.
Does it differ from asthenia?
супротно ТАЕ, asthenia is not a disease. Asthenia is a non-pathological condition that appears mainly in spring. «Probably the mechanisms that produce asthenia and those of SAD can be the same: the changes of season through the Мелатонин. However, when there is a pathological picture behind it, as is the case with Seasonal Affective Disorder, it affects in a more serious way ”, concludes Dr. Fernández.