Is being depressed during the holiday season something you’ve experienced or witnessed? If so, you’re not alone. There are a lot of reasons behind holiday depression, and Carolyn Gregoire touches on several in an article this week for the Huffington Post. Please read this excerpt, and you can click the link below for the full story– and if you live in the Cleveland area and want some help working through holiday or seasonal depression, we’re here.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… well, not for everyone.
While images of love and joy fill storefronts, TV screens and magazine pages, for many people, the reality of the holidays isn’t so cheerful. Between stressful end-of-year deadlines, family dysfunction and loss, poor eating and drinking habits, and increasingly cold and dark winter days, it’s easy for the holiday season to feel not-so-merry and bright.
Constant reminders of others’ happy seasons can additionally serve as a painful reminder of the happiness and love that’s lacking in our own lives. For this reason, the month of December can be a particularly difficult time of year for those dealing with family conflict, loss, break-ups, divorce, loneliness and mental health issues.
Feelings of depression and negative mood affect many people at the holidays, and not just those who have been diagnosed with clinical depression. While there hasn’t been data to suggest an actual rise in depression rates and suicides in December — research has found that depression and suicide actually peak in the Spring — some experts say that the holiday blues are a very real phenomenon. And of course, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that this is the case.