GREAT FALLS — Julie Trosper, a clinical counselor at Alluvion Health in Great Falls, talks about seasonal affective disorder and mental health.
Trosper said, “It’s typically the winter months we see an increase in patients, whether that be because of financial stress of the holidays or people will come home from the holidays or be separated from their families for the holidays, and they’re just lonely and depressed.”
Montana is known for long, dark, and cold winters, and Trosper says some of those environmental factors can contribute to the severity of seasonal depression.
Symptoms to look out for:
- Feeling listless, sad or down most of the day, nearly every day
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Having low energy and feeling sluggish
- Having problems with sleeping too much
- Experiencing carbohydrate cravings, overeating and weight gain
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty
- Having thoughts of not wanting to live
If you are in crisis and want help, call the Montana Suicide Prevention Lifeline - available 24/7, every day and night - at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) or text “MT” to 741 741
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