Handling the holiday blues

Welcome back. The holidays are often pictured as a warm, cozy time filled with family and friends and lots of celebration. But for so many people, this season can actually trigger a wide range of difficult emotions, commonly known as the holiday blues. Joining us now to discuss how we can cope and protect our mental health is psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Bober. Dr. Bober, thanks so much for being with us tonight. My pleasure. So when people think of the holidays, again, they usually think of joy and family. Why is this time of year, though, so hard on our mental health? Well, you're right, Tisha. When you think about the holidays, you have this image in your head of warm, cozy family gatherings, but for about a fifth of Americans, they suffer from something called the holiday blues, which is not an official psychiatric diagnosis, but it can lead to feelings of sadness, stress, anxiety, financial strain. And for people with pre-existing mental illness, such as depression, up to 60% of people may suffer the holiday blues. And I think part of the reason that this happens is because the holidays for some people serve as a magnifying glass for the loss in their lives, an empty seat at the table, a promise that wasn't kept, an unmet expectation, estrangement for the family. So if this is something that you're already experiencing, the holidays have a way of amplifying that. Dr. Bubba, what are some common signs that someone is dealing with more than just temporary stress? Well, it's important to contrast the holiday blues with things like seasonal affective disorder, which occur in the fall and the winter and have to do with changes in daylight and major depressive disorder, which is sadness or loss of pleasure and symptoms such as guilt, feelings of worthlessness, poor concentration, which occur for at least two weeks. But what I would say is that anything that affects your daily functioning, changes in your weight, changes in your sleep, unable to meet life obligations is something that's should be a source of clinical attention. You mentioned seasonal affective disorder. As the days get shorter and colder, many people are experiencing seasonal affective disorder. What are some steps that people can take to manage those symptoms? Of course, psychotherapy, something that is called a light box, which can simulate sunlight. So that's also helpful. Sometimes medication as well. But a lot of times, you know, you can just do simple things like exercise, proper nutrition, the proper amount of sleep. These simple fixes can be enough. But for some people, they may require a little bit more intensive intervention. Finally, if someone is watching this right now or a loved one is struggling to get through the season, at what point should they reach out for professional help? Anyone who's watching this, I would tell yourself to make sure that you give yourself grace. You don't have to have the same rituals every year. Sometimes if you can just find one or two people to spend time with, that's enough. But if you're really struggling, if you can't sleep, if there's changes in your weight, you're letting your hygiene go. You're not showing up at work. You're not meeting your social obligations. And it's really affecting your daily functioning that it's something that you really should reach out and get professional help for. Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Bober, thank you so much for your insight and advice. Happy holidays, Tisha. Likewise.