“Take your vitamins, kids.”
Senior Vera Mackyntoich is specifically referring to vitamin D, the most common treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is also colloquially known as seasonal depression.
Kari Coupland, a nurse at the Health and Wellness Center, said SAD is a type of depression that usually starts in the fall and then goes into the winter months.
“Early intervention is key to managing the symptoms,” Coupland said.
Mackyntoich said she sees herself as an example of what happens when intervention doesn’t happen early.
“I’m from Georgia, which is a very sunny climate, so I’d never really dealt with a dark winter before,” Mackyntoich said. “When I came to Hillsdale freshman year, it didn’t really impact me in the fall, but then January and February came around and I was just so sad.”
Even though Mackyntoich had dealt with depression and anxiety in high school and knew the signs, she didn’t immediately seek help.
“I was at Hillsdale and I was supposed to be the happiest ever because this was what I always wanted. This is where I always wanted to be. I had great friends, nothing was wrong in my life, nothing was missing, and yet I felt so depressed,” said Mackyntoich. “One day was finally the breaking point. I was standing in an Olds shower just letting cold water run over my body and that was it. I knew something was very wrong.”
That was when Mackyntoich decided to go to the Health and Wellness Center to seek help.
“I explained everything that was going on inside of me and how I just didn’t know why. They immediately told me that I have seasonal affective disorder.”
Mackyntoich said that the Health and Wellness Center gave her some vitamin D gummies and told her to take them the rest of the semester.
“Within a couple of days, I was feeling better,” she said. “Part of it was taking the gummies, but I also think part of it was just knowing that there was something real happening. That was just so powerful, knowing that I’m not insane.”
Coupland pointed out that SAD can have symptoms that affect all areas of the day-to-day lives of those who have it. Common symptoms include weight gain, difficulty concentrating, and sleep issues. It affects more women than men.
Brock Lutz, director of health services, said SAD commonly affects a large portion of the student population.
“We certainly have a fair amount of students every year who get hit by this type of depression,” Lutz said. “Many of them learn to not dread it so it doesn’t become a self-perpetuating cycle, but to tell themselves ‘I’ve been through this before, I made it through, and I’m going to practice what I learned.”
Mackyntoich said that too often people discredit the effects of SAD, which doesn’t allow space for those with a diagnosis to seek help or talk about their struggle.
“They call it ‘winter blues,’ but seasonal affective disorder is a major depressive disorder. It’s not just ‘I’m feeling sad.’ Yes, you do feel sad, but it’s because of a chemical imbalance in your brain from not getting enough sunshine,” Mackyntoich said.
One way to spread awareness and openness among the student body could be to destigmatize a SAD diagnosis. Mackyntoich said that would be a first step to achieving a healthy relationship between mental health issues and students.
“I didn’t tell a lot of people about the diagnosis freshman year. I felt a lot of shame, but also a sense of just ‘wow, I’m so stupid,’” she said. “It made me feel weird to be diagnosed with something. There is such a stigma around being diagnosed even with something like seasonal affective disorder when it’s literally the sun being down causing you to feel sad.”
Mackyntoich said SAD is something she thinks they should talk more about at freshman orientation events and that she doesn’t remember it being discussed during her orientation at all.
“Since my freshman year, I’ve talked to other freshman classes and they said it was mentioned at their orientations, so I don’t know if I just missed it or what. I just remember catching myself and thinking ‘Why do I feel so depressed?’ Unlike at other times, there was nothing I could pinpoint as the cause.”
Thankfully, SAD can be significantly offset by taking vitamin D and having a healthy lifestyle.
“Many students learn that a whole-person approach is vital,” Lutz said.
According to Lutz, some ways to combat SAD are to eat nutritious foods, exercise 3 times per week, get 7-8 hours of sleep each night, spend time with friends, and invest in one’s spiritual life.
Mackyntoich said that she now religiously takes vitamin D from October through the spring semester.
“I just keep doing it even when I’m in a warmer climate, so all the way through Christmas Break. Taking your vitamins sounds like such mom advice, but seriously, do it. It will make you feel so much better.”
Along with taking vitamins, Mackyntoich has found other methods to manage SAD.
“Self-reflection is so important,” she said. “It allows me to look at a week and realize that I had six bad days in a row and that, even though I was taking my vitamins, it was completely overcast all week. It’s just good to have that awareness and explanation that the week seemed bad, but it was completely out of my control. For no reason, it was bad because it was dark, but realizing that it will be light again and that everything will be okay.”
Light therapy and counseling are both additional forms of treatment. These services are available for students at the Health and Wellness Center.
Reach out to one of our counselors early on in the process,” Lutz said, “even when symptoms are moderate.”
Mackyntoich said that her experience with SAD was a big learning experience for her on the importance of having community and talking to other people about how you are feeling.
“If you are dealing with seasonal affective disorder, it is so helpful to just have someone to talk to. Just know that it is normal and it is okay,” she said. “Ultimately, there’s something to be done about it and nothing to be done about it. Sadly, we can’t make the day brighter or longer, but we can offset the effects.”
