Depression Resources at GFU (Crescent)

         Whether you’re a native Oregonian or a newcomer to the state, you’re likely beginning to feel the effects of winter. Running between classes in the rain, layering clothing for chilly mornings, and making activity plans around the weather forecast are all part of the drill.

However, some take the transition into winter harder than others. In fact, winters in areas with short daylight hours and little sun can sometimes lead to increased depression rates. This is known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

About 0.5% of the general population has SAD, according to Dr. Bill Buhrow of George Fox’s Health and Counseling Center (HCC). It is not known how the seasons may trigger depression, but the effects are more intense in regions that receive less sunlight.

“The best course of action is to focus on basic things in life,” said Buhrow—things like eating, sleeping, exercising, and socializing. 

“Americans, and college students as a subset of that, tend to be pretty abusive to [their] bodies,” he said. He especially drew attention to the sleep schedules of students, which can trend towards dysfunctional. 

“The number one answer when we ask ‘What are you doing when you’re not sleeping?’ is watching something on their phone,” Buhrow said. And while there may be some students who genuinely can’t get adequate sleep due to homework, it’s not as common as some might think.

Buhrow also made it clear that not just any instance of depression in the fall or winter should be attributed to SAD—it can only be seen when a pattern is established in which depression repeatedly follows the seasons. In fact, SAD is about twenty times less common than Major Depressive Disorder.

However—whether or not symptoms of depression are attributable to the seasons—there comes a point at which altering lifestyles isn’t enough. 

“If it’s really getting in the way of life,” Buhrow said—for example, when symptoms lead to social withdrawal, isolation, or an inability to work on school— “that’s when you want to talk to someone in the HCC or in [the Office of Spiritual Life].”

Like any other form of depression, SAD should be taken seriously. Though some amount of emotional change in the winter can be normal, depression is never normal, and no one should have to encounter it alone.

GFU students have the option to get free counseling at the HCC, and anyone who is experiencing symptoms of depression—seasonal or otherwise—should use the resources they have.