I'm trying to cope with a mood disorder

Do the fascinating colors, unique weather and transforming nature of autumn stress you out instead of giving you hope and excitement; do you feel tense or anxious as the season changes? If yes, you may be experiencing seasonal affective disorder, more commonly known as seasonal depression or autumn depression.

We often hear about mental health problems such as bipolar personality disorder, depression and anxiety, but seasonal affective disorder is one of the least talked about mental health problems, despite affecting millions of people. According to research, about 10 million Americans are affected by seasonal affective disorder each year.

Seasonal depression usually begins in the fall and can last through the winter months. Although it is often temporary, this condition should be taken as seriously as any other mental illness.

Seasonal mood disorder starts at a certain time of the year and can continue into winter. Changing weather patterns, reduced sunlight and early darkening weather can cause many people to feel low mood, feel bad and have an anxious mood. While the fall and winter months are mentally challenging, the summer months are symptom-free.

Although many researchers have not reached a consensus on what exactly causes seasonal depression, as mentioned above, this mood disorder, which is directly related to the decrease in sunlight, can also be caused by

Biological clock change: When there is less sunlight, our biological clock changes accordingly. When our internal clock, which regulates our mood, sleep and hormones, changes, we may find it difficult to keep up and adapt to our usual daily schedule, triggering seasonal depression.

Imbalance of brain chemicals: Brain chemicals called neurotransmitters communicate between nerves and include the hormone serotonin, which increases feelings of happiness. Decreased serotonin levels due to reduced sunlight can worsen mood and cause depression.

Vitamin D deficiency: Serotonin levels are also supported by vitamin D, meaning that the more vitamin D, the more serotonin and therefore happiness. Since sunlight helps to produce vitamin D, less sunlight in the fall and winter months can lead to vitamin D deficiency. This change can also negatively affect mood.

Melatonin supplementation: Melatonin is a chemical that affects your sleep patterns and mood. Lack of sunlight can stimulate overproduction of melatonin in some people, which can lead to feeling sluggish, sleepy, lethargic and tired during the fall and winter months.

This is associated with less exposure to daylight, and less sunlight is followed by more time spent indoors, which can lead to negative feelings as people move away from nature. All of this contributes to the emergence of seasonal depression, or fall depression. Sensitivity to these changes varies from person to person. Some people react to the first signs of seasonal change in September, while others' moods may not change until December.

It is therefore very important to make some lifestyle changes to prevent seasonal depression.