I woke up on my not-so-cushioned slab of bedrock this morning, in my shoebox-sized dorm room, and peeled my eyes open to peer out the window and see gray. Not just any gray, but Binghamton gray, a completely different breed of depressing. After tallying day number four in a row that I had gone without seeing the sun, I closed my eyes and thought to myself, “What’s the point?”
Sound familiar? Well, then, you too might be suffering from Seasonal Depression — Binghamton University Edition.
When speaking of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the Cleveland Clinic explains that “it’s triggered by the change of seasons and most commonly begins in late fall. Symptoms include feelings of sadness, lack of energy, loss of interest in usual activities, oversleeping and weight gain.” On a large scale, the Mayo Clinic reports that “up to 44 percent of college students experience depression. If your depression tends to strike in late fall or early winter, it may be SAD.” Additionally, 13.2 percent of a sample of students surveyed in a northern New England study experienced SAD.
Despite the harsh reality of seasonal depression’s prevalence in colleges across the nation, the lack of awareness surrounding it provides insight into why it is overlooked and often stigmatized. And because of this, universities lack the resolve to take action to combat its grave effects on their students.
During a study in the early 2000s, a research team led by Professor Steven LoBello of Auburn University in Alabama quizzed more than 34,000 people with histories of depression before coming to the conclusion that “the idea of seasonal depression may be strongly rooted in folk psychology, but it is not supported by objective data.” By claiming that it’s not supported by data, this team is insinuating that it’s not rooted in concrete truth and rather may be a fallacy, contributing to society’s lack of acknowledgement of seasonal depression in its entirety. He went on to explain that, “We looked across the four seasons to see if there was an association with sunlight, and we simply didn’t find a direct relationship with sunlight, the seasons or latitude.”
However, some studies have since disproven LoBello’s argument in regard to the lack of connection between seasonal depression and sunlight. An earlier study published in 2014 in European Neuropsychopharmacology concluded that “people with seasonal affective disorder have difficulty regulating the neurotransmitter serotonin, a neurotransmitter believed to be responsible for balancing mood.” In short, higher SERT levels — a serotonin-binding protein — correlate to decreased serotonin activity. The increased exposure to sunlight in summer keeps SERT levels naturally low, while the winter months are associated with higher SERT levels in humans. This can be responsible for the imbalance of mood in SAD sufferers, a reasoning that combats this notion that seasonal depression is a furphy.
No matter this scientific logic, people are still too quick to undermine the severity of SAD. Because of this inability to assess or define the severity of seasonal depression in an obvious sense, people are quick to write it off as inconsequential, or even as an excuse for certain behaviors or feelings. And universities are no exception.
Universities throughout the nation are too quick to turn a blind eye to the serious impacts that seasonal depression has on so many students. And the quicker they realize the true harm that it has on campuses everywhere, the quicker they can act to make the needed change and accommodate these affected students. The Daily Iowan shined its own light on the topic, sharing that “colleges, including the University of Iowa, should do more to recognize this type of depression among students. Dialogue between instructors and their students should be encouraged and specific mental-health resources should be promoted.”
The good news is that beneficial changes in universities’ approaches toward seasonal depression can be simple and cost-effective. Professional help, such as student counseling services, can develop programs specialized for students struggling with seasonal depression, honing in on focal points like creating specialized treatment plans, positive lifestyle changes regarding nutrition or exercise, talk therapy and emotional support. Specifically, they can introduce the concept of “light therapy,” a form of therapy in which people sit close to a light box or lamp to allow their skin to absorb the light. The bright light simulates outdoor sunshine, which can boost melatonin, serotonin and vitamin D. Medical students at Albany Medical College tested the theory, claiming that “At $25-35, BLT lamps are an affordable, high value, low risk and efficient means to treat these symptoms. We think it would be beneficial for all medical schools to provide access to BLT to students.” This is an easy and proven-successful way of treating SAD that can accommodate students, even in the tiny living quarters of their own dorm room.
It’s time to change the way we look at seasonal depression in the world of academia. Students are people with unlimited potential, whose greatest challenge should stem from rigorous coursework and assessments, not getting out of bed in the morning. SAD is a major threat to this potential and the only threat more dangerous than SAD and its effect on students everywhere is a college’s ignorance that allows it to fester beneath the pristine image of higher learning across the nation.
Julia O’Reilly is a sophomore majoring in biology.