Fall means midterms, long sleeves and pumpkin everything. Unfortunately, for many it also indicates the return of persisting negative feelings that may go beyond the regular stress of college.

Seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal affective disorder, sometimes known as seasonal depression, is a recurring pattern of depression associated with certain times of year. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, seasonal depression is diagnosed four times more often in women than men. Younger adults are also more likely to be diagnosed, as are those with a history of depression or bipolar disorder in their family.

People with seasonal depression produce more melatonin and less vitamin D. As days get shorter this increased darkness leads the body to increase melatonin levels, leaving one feeling lethargic or sluggish.

The Mayo Clinic discourages “brush[ing] off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the “winter blues” or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own.”

Colder months can affect everyone, even if you do not have seasonal affective disorder. Lower temperatures create an unwillingness to get out of bed and feelings of isolation. It also results in overeating or not eating enough.

Benefits of counseling

Even outside the scope of seasonal depression, counseling is a viable option for anyone seeking to improve their mental and emotional well-being. Everyday stress of social relationships, schoolwork and outside jobs may leave a bigger impact than normal as days get shorter and colder.

“You don’t need to have a breakdown to benefit from therapy; you don’t need to take medication or see a psychiatrist,” explained Stephanie McCullough Campbell.

Campbell is a third-year graduate student studying psychology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She advocates that seeking help is beneficial for any transitional time.

“College is a huge transitory time,” she said. “Transitions are stressful and cognitively a lot. Especially if things are happening in your personal life or outside of school, all of those challenges compound and take up brain space. Any time you have a thought or anxiety your brain has to use its resources that it could be using thinking to address that worry. Therapy is one way to ease that load.”

People may be deterred to seek help because of stigmas against therapy or mental illness. They may feel that it is looked down upon or seen as weak. Luckily, the stigma is fading with the Internet providing opportunities for connection, sharing experiences and raising awareness for mental illness.

Finding the right person to help

It is important to remember that finding the right therapist on the first visit is rare. Counseling is designed to meet your needs, and the process of finding someone who matches what you need may be daunting.

“You’re lucky if the first person you go to is a good match for you,” Campbell emphasized. “If you go once and say, ‘oh, I feel weird,’ and give up, it’s not really giving counseling a fair shot.”

Drury offers free counseling to all full-time day students. Walk-in hours are on Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. To schedule an appointment or to seek long-term meetings, contact Jena Steele (jsteele003@drury.edu) or Ed Derr (ederr@drury.edu).

Written by Maclen Johnson.