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Seasonal Affective Disorder.. in summer?

startingnew
Community Member

hello everyone

ive only ever heard of SAD being in the winter months but im wondering is it possible to have it in the summer months?

im not sure if its part of my depression, the heat in general or other but id be interesting in finding out others experiences...

i find i have more trouble sleeping in summer, lack energy, and cravings for sweet things.

i cant put in anxiety or depressive feelings becasue i have these already..

what are your thoughts?

16 Replies 16

SubduedBlues
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

I find summertime to be more depressing than winter.

At least in winter we can hide our weight beneath sweatshirts and jumpers. In the summer, everyone knows I am fat.

hmm maybe thats it for me too...

im overweight as well and it jsut wont budge so it makes me really self conscious and my sh scars have to be hidden as well so that means having to find clothes that are coller for the summer months but still covers legs

Hi SN

Its only my guess but I think it might have more to do with our temperament caused by our problems.

My mental illness has side effects I'm very aware of, I have that insight (thankfully). These are- lack of endurance, short attention span, need for variety, impatience, moods, excess emotion, fears of crowds and clubs, insecurity etc etc. I hide them well though.

Summer for me means a number of irritations - sweating, bo, mosquitoes, tiredness through 14 hours of daylight and activity, more chores (gardening) and worries like bushfires and snakes.

Im normally a positive person for there are positives in sunshine, bbq weather etc but the see-saw of feelings ebb and flow so I get what you're saying SN. However because seasonal depression is commonly referred to winter blues, it might be other things like the above that drains you.

Do you think these things have a bearing?

Tony WK

Hi Tony


im starting to think mayeb it just is my moods in general but I was interested in getting a take on what others thoughts. I often associate SAD with winter blues but I get some of those in summer so was interested.


Summer means more irritations to me to including allergies, sweating, flies, the heat in general restricitng things.


Maybe this is th case for me too rather than a depressive state because of summer

Summer does has some advantages over winter:

  • we get to see more skin on other people
  • it's too cold to go for a skinny in the winter
  • it's hockey season: Go Redwings!
  • it's still daylight when we get home from work
  • it's not too cold to get up in the morning
  • no asthma (mine's seasonal)

Guest_0087
Community Member

Personally, I hate summer. I despise the heat, the long days, the sweat, the humidity, the insects, the reptiles etc etc

I loved living in the UK for two years because those winters were the best thing ever. I love wearing winter clothing, and I think that winter clothing looks more stunning on the opposite sex too. In winter you can curl up with a warm drink and watch a good movie or play some board games. I use to love snowy days freezing myself outside and then coming in and warming up by the fire place. My mood in winter is much better than it is in the summer. I definitely get SAD in summer

im glad im not alone in this i was strating to thnk i was sounding really stupid

maybe its all about the seasonal changes rather than SAD itself....

Guest_6465
Community Member

This in an old thread but I am new.

I work alot outside and I find, living in the sub-tropics, the heat and humidity drives me mad. At work, I cannot concentrate or record fine details. At home, it drives me to drink. I feel angry and want to lash out a lot of the time.

I would rather do the work I do in the freezing cold than the filthy heat.

Coming from European stock, I know this is likely racial/biological.

The cold stimulates the brain and the body. You are literally mentally crisper and alert. As far as sleeping goes, its blissful and regrettably harder to get up, but I know I function better in the cold, physically and mentally. I love deep winters, cold/short days, long dark nights. Need to move to Tasmania or NZ, if I could.

Guest_4643
Community Member

Hi startingnew.

Apologies for randomly commenting on your thread since it was posted ages ago, I was just scrolling through all the threads and I thought I'd comment, I hope that's alright.

I'm sorry that you struggle with SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, whichever you prefer to call it.

I would say it depends on the person. I've heard that it's more common in Winter because of the cold weather, storms, stuff like that. I suppose where you live could also contribute to it, I'm not too sure. But I'd say you can get it in any season, summer too. I can see why you say Summer, because of the heat, it gets exhausting and makes it hard to sleep, but Winter can be the same too.

I agree with you about craving certain things, like in Winter, some crave hot things such as Soup. I suppose it would differ from person to person, yet be similar. Does that make sense? I'm not sure how else to describe it, sorry. That's just my thoughts, I'm not 100% sure about SAD, I know a bit about it though. I'm sorry you struggle with it.

I hope things improve for you, and apologies for commenting here so late and randomly, I hope that's alright with you.

Take care, hope to see you around on the forums (I'm relatively new, been a member since Jan 22 this year). Love and hugs,

Tayla x