(Published by Matt Drzik; cover photo by Frank Sparks)

With the recent snowfall, lack of sunlight and well-below-freezing temperatures hitting Western Pennsylvania, many people have been dealing with the occasional winter blues. For some, however, the down feelings have turned into something more serious; a condition known as “seasonal depression”.

Monica Dunlap, the founder of Dunlap & Associates Counseling in Cranberry Township, spoke with Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County about the concept of seasonal depression, a condition that Dunlap says has many similarities to a more consistent (or “regular”) depression and requires many of the same treatments. “With seasonal depression, you’d be pretty much fine in the spring in the summer”, she said, “and then in the fall when it starts to get cold and dark, you’d start to experience those depressive symptoms.”

She talked about how the lack of sunlight during the winter months creates a disruption of the natural circadian rhythms (known more colloquially as an “internal clock) within many people, and how it can be fixed through the use of activities such as tanning and spending time outside even in short segments, to the use of heat lamps and supplements such as Vitamin D.

“With depression and anxiety, it’s very important to have some sort of routine and take care of your physical health,” Dunlap said. “It’s very important that you build these habits when it’s warmer and when it’s easier so you be in a habit when it starts to get cold.”

Dunlap also warned of the dangers of not treating seasonal depression: “You can create some long-term problems for yourself if you try to deal with it on your own. It’s just really important that even though it’s temporary, that you can deal with it and learn to manage it…if you live in Pennsylvania, winter’s coming every year. There’s no avoiding it.”

For more information about Dunlap & Associates Counseling and the services they provide, you can visit them online at dunlapandassociatescounseling.com or on their Facebook page.

To listen to the full conversation with Monica Dunlap, click on the player below.