Is it true that in mental diseases of exacerbation most often occur in spring and autumn?

It is common that people with mental illness are more susceptible to exacerbation in the spring and autumn periods. We decided to check whether the course of such diseases is really related to seasonality.

The phrase "spring exacerbation" is quite common - it is used in Media, Blogs and even the names of art works. Russian rock band "End of the film" Sings “Spring is the time of schoolchildren and suicides”, and “Cockroaches!” They even released a song with the name "Spring exacerbation". Autumn exacerbation is most known as autumn depression. Popular network author Marta Ketro Writes: “In November, every decent person should be depressed from three to ten days. If for some reason you do not lie like an aluminum spoon, this indicates an insufficiently subtle mental organization. Therefore, at least do not admit to anyone, do not disgrace. ”

In the current international classification of diseases (ICD) of the tenth revision, there is only one position In section F (“mental disorders and behavior disorders”), related to the seasons and seasons, is a seasonal depressive disorder (F.33). In the ICD-11, the transition to which begins on January 1, 2022, the dependence of the mental state on the time of year interpreted A little wider. The seasonal character is already considered possible for any of the affective disorders (not only with depression, but also with bipolar affective disorder (bar), as well as cyclothiy). However, the absence of other diseases in the ICD of the seasonal character does not mean that there were no such studies.

The most obvious reason for the connection between the state of the psyche and the weather outside the window is perhaps sunlight and temperature. Sociological polls They say The fact that the autumn decrease in mood (not to be confused with a clinically made diagnosis of depression) mark up to a third of Russians. Based on the general logic and personal observations, it can be assumed that in parallel with a reduction in daylight hours and a decrease in temperature, the mood of a person is inclined to deteriorate, that is, depressive disorders are manifested. And vice versa: it is worth starting the day to increase, and the sun - to shine longer, as manic accents will begin to manifest in mentally unstable people. However, such a household hypothesis is too simplifying the situation. Also, in such a pattern, it is impossible to integrate some diseases, in particular schizophrenia. However, in some way the household hypothesis coincides with the observations of scientists.

A group of researchers from Zurich conducted a cohort long -term Observation (more than 20 years) and found out that in the autumn-winter period there really is more depressed episodes. Moreover, women are subject to seasonal deterioration of condition five times stronger than men. In the English -speaking space already in 1998 used The term explaining the dependence of the psychological state on the weather is a seasonal affective disorder (Seasonal Affective Disorder, Sad). Since most of the observed complained about the deterioration of mood precisely in the autumn-winter period, the main reason for its occurrence counted Just a decrease in sunlight and in 2011 proposed a method of treating such a disorder - light therapy. However, four years later appeared Doubts about its effectiveness and questions about the methodology of studies. At the same time, scientists converged in the fact that autumn-winter depression as a separate type of disorder really exists. And in 2015, scientists discoveredthat, in addition to autumn-winter depression, there is an inverted-summer, as well as suggestedthat a predisposition to depression can predetermine what season a person was born in. So, mice born in the summer were unequivocally happier than “autumn-spring” and “winter”, while “winter” were less susceptible to depressions compared to “autumn-spring”.

Also in the period from late autumn to early spring, cognitive functions are more severely reduced in older people in other periods. Scientists Sicked A group of 3353 people, some of which had Alzheimer's disease (ba), and investigated their memory and cognitive abilities using several methods: neuropsychological testing, analysis of biomarkers of spinal fluid, as well as the autopsy of the dead and measurement of the expression of brain genes. As a result of the study, it was proved that elderly people with the pathology of the BA and without it quickly lose cognitive functions in the autumn-winter period compared to the spring-summer.

Australian scientists set out to determine what time of the year the manifestation (first onset of symptoms) of schizophrenia most often occurs. Analyzing appeals to medical facilities in six years, they Made The conclusion that the peak falls on August (adjusted to the southern hemisphere - at the end of winter and early spring. Austrian scientists agree with the Australian scientists. Having gathered a base of 110,735 patients who turned for help in the period 2003-2016, they noted Peak of hospitalizations in January and June. But with a bar (it is also a manic-depressive disorder) to draw the same conclusion about the seasonality of hospitalization (with any stage) It didn't work out. At the same time, the change of peaks really It has a seasonal nature - “manic episodes reaches a peak in spring / summer and a lesser extent autumn, depressive episodes reach the peak at the beginning of winter, and to a lesser extent in the summer, mixed episodes reach the peak in early spring or in the middle / end of summer.” With this conclusion agree And the Australian scientists who analyzed the data of 27,255 hospitalizations of patients with a bar: in the spring it was a maximum of hits in the hospital with manic and hypomanic symptoms.

In addition to the manifestation of schizophrenia in spring and summer, there is a peak of suicides. Scientists analyzed data from Greece, Norway and Australia (again adjusted to another hemisphere) and found outthat of the calculation of 100,000 people in spring and winter, on average, two suicides are greater than in winter and autumn.

A papadopoulos, professor of psychiatry from the University of Uppsala (Sweden), Notesthat if we take the winter for the starting point, then in the spring the level of suicides rises by as much by 20-60%. Thus, the song of the group “End of the film” really does not contradict scientific data.

And although scientists have clearly established the dependence of the exacerbation of various disorders on the time of year, there is still no consensus, which serves as the reason. The main two hypotheses are or length daylight hours, or after all temperature environment. 

Thus, it is possible to talk about autumn or spring exacerbation, implying by the first to reduce mood, and by the second - unfortunate euphoria, it should really be taken into account that there are people with inverted cycles. At the same time, given that many of the analyzed diseases are quite dangerous, you should not ignore their symptoms, explaining everything by the change of seasons, and it is better to contact specialists in time who can choose competent treatment.

Is it true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

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2. How to behave with a person with depression. Instructions