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If you have thoughts about suicide, or someone you know is in immediate danger, you should call 911 (or your country’s local emergency line) or go to an emergency room. Explain that it is a psychiatric emergency and request someone trained for these types of situations.
On a gray and rainy day in March 2024, Dr. Norman Rosenthal, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Georgetown Medicine, called me from Maryland to, ironically, discuss the spring euphoria. Rosenthal was the first person to describe seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is the depression that comes with seasonal changes (generally winter), and pioneered light therapy as a treatment for this disorder.
At the beginning of our call, Rosenthal considered how the climate, which firmly contrasts the sunny climate earlier of the week, collided with the theme in question: the mood of spring. “Then I realized that this is part of the problem with spring,” he reflected. “Yesterday, it was simply beautiful, and maybe it will be tomorrow or the next day, but it is up and down.”
How the winter transition to spring can affect us
We talk a lot about the impacts on the health of the summer savings schedule and the low moods during the winter, but the energizing and sometimes erratic effects of spring also deserve to dig. For many, especially those who live in more seasonal areas in the world where there is a dramatic change from winter to the warmest climate, and those with seasonal affective disorder, that first spring air burst can bring with it a great explosion of energy, an improved mood and even minor feelings of euphoria. It is not a medical term, but we can also call it “spring fever.”
As someone who grew up in the west and now lives on the east coast, I have always had those first spring days to increase my mood and revitalize me. For me, that change from dark to light, bitter-fried to sun sun, feels like the first sips of coffee combined with warm sunlight hitting your face. And judging by the number of people who suddenly are inspired to clean their homes and our natives Draw sunlight As human beings, I know I’m not alone.
But like spring, our moods and reasons for them are far from being simple, according to Rosenthal, who pointed out that it is not as simple as “it was dark, now it is sunny; I was sad, now I’m glad.” Not only feel euphoric during that first warm week to indicate a mental health condition that needs attention, such as bipolar disorder or other mood disorders, but the ascending nature of spring can bring with them other factors that affect our mood, such as changing relationships, changes in the duration of the day and more.
“All these things have to be accommodated by their biology and psychology,” said Rosenthal, who is also the author of the book Defeating SAD.
Why can you feel energetic at the beginning of spring
Spring comes with more opportunities for exposure to sunlight for many people. As humans, we are biologically connected to benefit from sunlight, and our sleep pattern or circadian rhythm depends on it. When we get the correct amount of exposure to sunlight, we tend to be better physically and mentally. (While protecting your skin and eyes, of course).
“The sunlight in spring certainly makes a difference,” said Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a family doctor based in Arizona. Sunlight improves our mood in a couple of different ways, he said.
“The Sun can actually help reduce melatonin levels, so we don’t feel so drowsiness during the day,” Bhuyan explained. “The sun can also help increase the serotonin of the neurotransmitter,” he added, which is known as a “Feel good“Chemical.
In addition, additional sunlight, especially at the end of the afternoon, since people leave work or school, make us more social and even more likely to exercise, two separate factors that may increase mood, according to Buyan.
Now, it is time to add some nuances: some people can report that they feel happier or experience more significant humor changes in spring compared to others due to their individual biology. They can be leaving their symptoms of SAD, which is the seasonal depression caused by winter in most cases (not in all).
In addition, some people are prone to experience more intense humor changes, or their transmitters may be more sensitive to serotonin due to depression, Rosenthal said.
“In people with a bipolar trend, the lack of light is depressing,” he explained. “An expansion of light is being activated.”
Rosenthal said that the “bipolar trend” in this context not only means people with clinically relevant bipolar disorder, but others who experience more moods and can be “more susceptible to spring than to the factory series.”
“With each mental state, it is a matter of degree,” Rosenthal said, adding that how it affects the quality of his life is the important thing.
“The euphoria is good or bad depending on how marked it is,” he said. “For most people, I would say, it is a welcome increase in energy and mood and something to celebrate.”
Read more: Obtaining the morning sunlight improved my dream: here is why you should also
Why could you feel “out of spring
If you have just read all those good news about sunlight and its positive impact on our mood, but yearn more morning sunlight or even in the March watch adjustment, it is not exempt from merit: there are some negative impacts for health associated with the saving time of daylight savings, many of them related to that time of sleep we lose and the effect of collection of sleep deprivation.
There are also reasons to prefer it earlier and more dark before, depending on factors such as the schedule and preferences of your family, denying all “euphoric” feelings of warm climate and later for some.
Another reason why someone’s mood can be negatively affected in spring is what Rosenthal referred to previously: the ups and downs of the weather and the way we are trying to follow our natural environment. For example, someone who needs it may not use their light box or therapy lamp because it was super sunny yesterday, despite being a sad day today, he explained.
“It can be a bit desombobulat,” Rosenthal said.
Buyan agrees with the dramatic climate that spring can throw and its effect on some people.
“Abrupt changes in the weather can also affect people’s mood,” he said.
SAD is not limited to winter, since the only time it appears to affect people’s mood; sad summer It can also greatly affect people’s moods. And for people who experience depression or other symptoms during the warmer months, whether spring or summer, they can have less support because people have a weaker understanding of what is happening. For example, people who experience sad in summer can sleep less instead of more, and feel more irritable or restless compared to what is “typical” during winter.
“For many people who have a seasonal affective disorder in spring, it is even more insulating because it is not so well recognized,” said Buyan.
When euphoria is a problem
For people with bipolar disorder or other mental health condition, sunlight or spring can trigger maniawhich may include an explosion of energy, ideas, thoughts of careers and extraordinary plans or actions that may or may not be harmful to you. You can feel extremely irritable or extremely happy.
Research shows that suicide rates are higher in spring and summer; Not during the darkest and coldest moments like winter, as we can expect. In addition to Mania and his Link to suicide and depressionThere is also certain information to suggest inflammation and allergies associated with spring and depression. It can be a contributing factor. Experts have also theorized that Emphasis on social interactions And relationships during spring and summer can also play a role, and those who feel depressed or agitated during the warmer months can I feel that they are being lost.
But the reasons behind the employer are not entirely clear. “That tells me that there is clearly a deeper link with mental health problems,” Buhyan said about the lack of definitive research.
In terms of when a revitalized or euphoric spring mood can guarantee more attention or help from a mental health provider, Buyan and Rosenthal identified some of the “red flags” that suggest that they could benefit from a management or treatment plan. This is what should be taken into account:
Lack of sleep: If you are jumping from sleeping because you don’t feel it needs it, or you are too restless to rest, this means a problem.
You are irritable: In addition to the extreme feelings of euphoria, happiness, euphoria or feeling at the top of the world, There may also be an “irritable quality” for the minimums of the mood of spring, Rosenthal said.
Other people are commenting: If you are buzzing with a new shocking plan that you have for your life, you are talking at a pace that people cannot understand, you are awake until 4 am cleaning or anything else out of the ordinary, people close to you can start saying something. If they do, listen to them, since this is one of the most important signs, euphoria or happiness can be more extreme and guarantee some help from a medical professional.
And if a friend or someone you know is acting out of the ordinary, do not keep your tongue for fear of getting angry or hurting their feelings.
“Be sure to mention them, because they could not notice themselves,” Buyan said.
Impulsive decisions: Having a ton of money, taking a great choice of life that would not normally take or other options that are “out of nowhere” can also mean that it is at risk of mania, Buyan said.
These are just some flags for experiences that justify the attention of a medical care provider; Other things in addition to changes in spring or season You can activate mania or a mental health crisis. If you are considering committing suicide, or you are thinking of carrying out an act that could damage it, call 911 or tell a person near you so you can help you get help or call emergency services. According to the information of the Harvard Thard School of Public Health, a suicidal crisis in which someone has an increased risk of dying, can be very short, a issue of hours or even minutesmaking the immediate help crucial.
