The cold weather and holiday-filled winter months may make
people more vulnerable to depression, according to some
researchers, and students have many warning signs to look out for
to ensure the well-being of family and friends.
The link between seasons and mood is drawn through Seasonal
Affective Disorder.
The belief behind the disorder is that getting fewer hours of
daylight leads to a depressed mood, said Kathleen Lambird, a
psychology intern for UCLA Student Psychological Services. Lambird
said the main factor that distinguishes depression from a sad
period in someone’s life is impairment in a person’s
functioning. She said an inability to keep up with responsibilities
and changes in sleep patterns, mood and eating habits are key signs
that something may be wrong.
For a formal diagnosis of depression, the symptoms need to have
persisted for at least two weeks, Lambird said.
Increased consumption of alcohol and drug use are also symptoms
of depression.
“If you’re using them to escape from feelings of
sadness, that’s an ominous sign,” said Dr. Ian Cook, a
professor in the department of psychiatry at the David Geffen
School of Medicine.
Cook said occasionally using alcohol to escape one’s
feelings is not the problem, but rather when use becomes regular
and is more often than not relied on for relief.
Another common cause of depression is genetics.
“For many years it has been known that depression often
runs in families,” Cook said.
People have focused on the role of neurotransmitters,
particularly serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, in depression,
he said. Cook explained that neurotransmitters modulate how the
brain processes inputs from the outside world and how they
translate into behaviors and feelings.
“The working model is that if we can improve
neurotransmission by increasing neurotransmitters, people’s
symptoms tend to remit,” he said.
Many of the common anti-depressant medications, like Prozac and
Zoloft, work by altering levels of serotonin.
But unlike other chemicals such as caffeine and nicotine which
affect the brain quickly, these types of medications can take weeks
to have positive effects, which may cause people who are used to
fast results to stop treatment prematurely, Cook said. He added
that in some cases, the medications may even worsen the depression
and lead to suicidal thinking, but doctors aren’t sure
why.
The stigma associated with depression shouldn’t stop
people from getting treatment, said Tina Oakland, director of the
UCLA Center for Women and Men.
“Depression is not a character flaw. It’s not about
being weak. It really is a brain chemistry issue,” she
said.
Oakland also said suicide is not the way to solve problems.
“Never take a permanent solution to a temporary problem,
no matter how serious it seems,” she said.
Student Psychological Services can be reached Monday through
Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at
(310) 825-0768.