5 minute read
The days between Thanksgiving and the New Year can be a dizzying haze. Outside your window, you see lights wrap around decorated houses, their brightness compensating for an early setting sun. It reminds you of home, where savoury and sweet scents saturate the air from early afternoon until late in the night—hot chocolate, fresh rice, aunty’s curry, and whatever everyone is bringing for the family party. Any other time of the year you would jump at the opportunity to visit family, but you feel a weight press against your chest. You feel dread as you stare at the gifts and money packets you prepared for all your nieces and nephews. An uninviting winter chill penetrates your bones. You can’t get out of bed. Everything feels like an attack to your senses. You ignore your parents’ calls.
As an Asian living in the US, it can be difficult to take the impact of these experiences seriously. If you were brought up in a culture that stigmatizes mental health and prioritizes stoicism, it might seem silly to not be able to get over things so inconsequential. You think: it’s probably the winter blues or stress. But it might be something else you’ve heard others talk about: Seasonal Affective Disorder.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a “recurrent mood disorder in which depressive episodes regularly begin in one season and remit in another season” (Kasof, 2009, p. 79). Commonly referred to as “SAD,” it also goes by other names, including “seasonal depression” and “winter depression.” Approximately 5% of people living in the United States experience SAD (Mental Health America, n.d.).
Though it is often associated with fall and winter months (termed winter-SAD), SAD has also been observed in the spring and summer months (termed summer-SAD) (Kasof, 2009, p. 79). Symptoms for winter-SAD include loss of drive and energy, prolonged sleep, increased food intake (Rothenberg et al., 2004, p. 209), among others. Summer-SAD can also manifest in a similar fashion, though for those managing bipolar disorders, spring and summer months may also see manic or hypomanic episodes (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 via Rothenberg et al., 2004, p. 209).
Who is at risk for Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Though SAD is aptly named after its main diagnostic characteristic, several studies shine light on factors that correlate with its occurrence. Studies have looked at patterns that factor in geography, climate and culture, and found that people are possibly more at risk if they:
- Have moved to a new country within the past 10 years (Kurata et al., 2016, p. 7)
- Are already experiencing mental distress (Saheer et al., 2013, p. 241)
- Live in high latitude (non-equatorial) areas with limited exposure to sunlight (Haggarty et al., 2002, p. 382; Kurata et al., 2016, p. 6; Stewart et al., 2014, p. 518)
For many in the Asian American community, these risk factors are common aspects of lived experiences. According to the Pew Research Center, 54% of 24 million Asian Americans living in the U.S. immigrated to the country (Tian et al., 2024). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (n.d.) states that 10.2% of the Asian American population over the age of 18 experienced serious psychological distress in 2023 – a big jump from 1.9% in 2018.
Culturally informed practices to protect against Seasonal Affective Disorder
Being in community and maintaining socializing activities (Kurata et al., 2016, p. 7), exercising, and being outdoors (Rothenberg et al., 2024, pp. 216-217) have been observed to provide benefits for those experiencing SAD. While studies around SAD often focus on treating geographic and climate factors through increased sun exposure through travel and light therapies (Rothenberg et al., 2024, p. 214), these solutions are not 100% effective and may not be accessible for those with limited resources.
Cultural factors were consistent considerations in studies, often referring to the impact cultural and social norms have over the perception of mental health and treatment. While it is important to not self-diagnose, solutions can be hard to find if the problem can’t be recognized in the first place. Identifying, understanding and being able to articulate your experiences can help with finding the right support. Choosing to work with a culturally-sensitive professional can make a huge impact, especially at times of crisis.
This is why we at AMHC emphasize the importance of ensuring diversity in therapeutic practice. For those looking to connect to an Asian therapist, we’ve compiled a list of practitioners across America in our directory.
For those in need, we also run applications throughout the year for free therapy sessions through our Lotus Therapy Fund.
Sources
American Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/seasonal-affective-disorder
Bodden, S., Lorimer, H., Parr, H., & Williams, C. (2024). SAD geographies: Making light matter. Progress in Human Geography, 48(5), 595-613. https://doi.org/10.1177/03091325241252846
Boldschmied, J. R., Palermo, E., Sperry, S., Burgess, H. J., McCarthy, M., Yocum, A., McInnis, M., & German, P. (2025). Seasonal variation in mood among individuals with and without bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 369, 1131-1135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.101
Chen, Z., Zhang, X., & Tu, Z. (2024). Treatment measures for seasonal affective disorder: A network meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 350, 531-536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.028
Haggarty, J. M., Cernovsky, Z., Husni, M., Minor, K., Kermeen, P., & Merskey, H. (2002). Seasonal affective disorder in an Arctic community. Acta Psychiatric Scandinavica, 105(5), 378-384. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0447.2002.1o185.x
Jack, R. H., Joseph, R. M., Hollis, C., Hippisley-Cox, J., Butler, D., Waldram, D., & Coupland, C. (2023). Seasonal trends in antidepressant prescribing, depression, anxiety and self-harm in adolescents and young adults: an open cohort study using English primary care data. BMJ Mental Health, 26(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjment-2023-300855
Kasof, J. (2009). Cultural variation in seasonal depression: Cross-national differences in winter versus summer patterns of seasonal affective disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 115(1-2), 79-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2008.09.004
Kurata, Y., Izawa, S., & Nomura, S. (2016). Seasonality in mood and behaviours of Japanese residents in high-latitude regions: transnational cross-sectional study. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 10:33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-016-0084-2
Mental Health America. (n.d.). Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). https://mhanational.org/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad
Rothenberg, M., Nussbaumer-Streit, B., Pjrek, E., & Winkler, D. (2024). Lifestyle modification as intervention for seasonal affective disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 174, 209-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.03.053
Saheer, T. B., Lien, L., Hauff, E., & Kumar, B. N. (2013). Ethnic differences in seasonal affective disorder and associated factors among five immigrant groups in Norway. Journal of Affective Disorders, 151(1), 237-242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.05.086
Stewart, A. E., Roecklein, K. A., Tanner, S., & Kimlin, M. G. (2014). Possible contributions of skin pigmentation and vitamin D in a polyfactorial model of seasonal affective disorder. Medical Hypotheses, 83(5), 517-525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2014.09.010
Suhail, K. & Cochrane, R. (1997). Seasonal changes in affective state in samples of Asian and white women. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 32(3), 149-157. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00794614
Suhail, K. & Cochrane, R. (1998). Seasonal variations in hospital admissions for affective disorders by gender and ethnicity. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 33(5), 211-217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s001270050045
Tian, Z., Im, C., Mukherjee, S., & Budiman, A. (2024, October 9). Why Asian Immigrants Come to the U.S. and How They View Life Here. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2024/10/09/why-asian-immigrants-come-to-the-u-s-and-how-they-view-life-here/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. (n.d.). Mental and Behavioral Health – Asian Americans. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/mental-and-behavioral-health-asian-americans
