Lately I have been in a state of mind where I cannot get anything done, the days seem to drift by and even going out shopping seems like an undertaking. It’s similar to a depression, but my life isn’t in too bad a shape at the moment, so the cause is something else…and my money is on the Winter Blues.

Known since the 6th century, when it was first described by the Goth scholar Jordanes, the Winter Blues, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, is a condition that apparently affects up to 20% of the population in the Scandinavian countries. The symptoms are similar to those presented in sufferers of dysthymia or clinical depression, except patients aren’t depressed in the usual emotional sense, but rather have no energy.

What causes the Winter Blues is still not quite clear. Researchers agree that it is the lack of sunlight that is the origin, but how that translates into the Seasonal Affective Disorder is uncertain. Light therapy has been efficient in treating the disorder, but exactly why that is the case is still unclear. Some evidence point to a lack of the neurotransmitter serotonin, whereas others point to an overproduction of melatonin to be the cause.

Whatever the cause we’re seemingly stuck with the Winter Blues for 3-4 months of the year as long as we live at these high latitudes.

For those wanting more information Wikipedia has a nice page on Seasonal Affective Disorder.