Holiday Depression: When It's Not the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yet, for 1 in 10 Americans, the holiday blues run much deeper. These people struggle with depression throughout the year. Popular belief holds that the holidays see the highest number of suicides. However, it’s actually the month of March. People with major clinical depression see everyone around them shake off the winter blues, which may increase their sense of hopelessness.

It’s important to know and understand the difference between the holiday blues/Seasonal Affective Disorder and depression. Major depression (see symptoms below) is much more debilitating and affects multiple areas of your life, including your ability to function on a daily basis.

Common Symptoms of Depression

• Little interest or pleasure in doing things
• Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless for an extended period of time
• Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or sleeping too much
• Feeling tired or having little energy
• Poor appetite or overeating
• Feeling bad about yourself or like you let yourself or your family down
• Thoughts of death or suicide
• Trouble concentrating on simple activities, such as reading the newspaper or watching television

Depression cannot always be prevented, but it can be treated. If you experience any of the symptoms above to the point you have difficulty maintaining your normal activity level and relationships, contact your primary care doctor.

Related article: Beat the Blues

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Jodi Rawson

As Digital Marketing Strategist Jodi Rawson oversees the digital consumer experience for North Kansas City Hospital & Meritas Health. This includes managing website strategy, marketing automation and social media for the system. She believes in the power of building positive relationships, trusts data (with a side of gut instinct) and has a passion for driving consumer engagement..