CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As winter descends upon us, so does the potential of seasonal depression.
Chris Leeth, an assistant professor at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, said that daylight saving time is coming.
"Winter comes on, there’s less daylight,” Leeth said.
In the midst of winter's chill and daylight savings, a shadow often falls on mental well-being. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, affects many, causing mood changes and impact of daily life.
"Seasonal Affective Disorder or depression with a seasonal pattern is when it occurs during the changing of seasons,” he said. “So, we see it most notably in the winter, so in other words its depression that comes on the onsets of winter and sometimes fall.”
Coping with seasonal depression is a journey, and understanding the signs early on can help you better cope with your feelings. That’s why Leeth said to pay attention to how you feel.
"Increases in worrying or feeling down, hopeless, sadness or some people are naturally kind of worried are feelings of apathy,” he said. “So, what we are looking for are these big shifts in your mood."
And while some communities are taking proactive steps to combat seasonal depression experts said that Nueces County is lacking mental health resources.
Licensed Professional Counselor Andrea Chapa said that many people may not be able to afford mental health care.
"Or maybe low social-economic population and that’s where there’s a lot of need for more mental health resource, I believe, and there’s only a couple of agencies here, so I think those are pretty overpopulated," Chapa said.
Experts says that you should make time to go out during the daily to get some sunlight and stick to your routine.
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