Midweek Mental Greening
People often associate becoming depressed during dark winter months with Seasonal Affective Disorder (or, SAD). SAD can actually affect people during any season, including the bright and sunny days during spring and summer months; however, according to a recent Swedish study, regardless of the similar symptoms, SAD doesn’t seem to be the culprit when it comes to the high number of suicides happening in places that experience extended sunlight like Sweden and Greenland.
The researchers speculated that light-generated imbalances in serotonin — the brain chemical linked to mood — may lead to increased impulsiveness that in combination with a lack of sleep drives people to kill themselves.
“We found that suicides were almost exclusively violent and increased during periods of constant day,” Bjorksten said in a statement.
What does this all mean?
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Site last updated: 20 May 2013
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One dynamic to this could be the bipolar who is stimulated by increasing daylight and gets a manic or hypomanic episode, and then followed by a depressive episode that could lead to suicidality, especially when the person compares the depression now to the mania of previously as so wonderful.
When people compare the mountain of mania to the abyss of depression, it leads to trouble!
there is a upwards blip in the frequency of suicidality in April/May, as there is one in October as well. Environment is one factor to illness, and why people forget this is, well, sad.
@ therapyfirst – Thanks for chiming in
Our environment (and wow – how deep into that we could dig!) definitely does play a role in mental health and I agree – it’s sad when people forget that.
This is an interesting study outcome but you should remember that if you have enough money and time you can prove almost anything with a psychology study.
There was an interesting event aboard the Belgian Polar Expedition of 1898. There was mass insanity while the ship was trapped in Antarctic polar ice for thirteen months. All but one man recovered when they worked outside for three months to chop the ship out of the ice. Dr Cook, ships physician, published an account in his book, “Through the First Antarctic Night.” His description of the symptoms resembles depression.
He blamed darkness during the Antarctic winter and then blamed constant sunlight when the symptoms increased with the return of the sun in the Antarctic summer.
But the actual cause was Subliminal Distraction. When many people are confined in too-small single-room situations they have an increased opportunity for SD exposure. The symptoms are fear, paranoia, panic attacks, depression and thoughts of suicide.
Cook described the cramped working situation, “The cabin is well aft; like the Commandant’s room, and the kitchen, it is on deck. … It is as if eight men stood up around a small table, and a box were built around them, the corners and walls and ceiling being lined with books and instruments.”
The recovery when they worked outside, rather than sitting together daydreaming in confined quarters, points to Subliminal Distraction. There was one case of permanent insanity in this incident. That suggests Subliminal Distraction as a major cause of mental illness.
Hi, nice article, My fav part was about insomnia and the insomniacs as I struggle with insomnia and it is a pain in the brain!