Issue 01: It's not just the winter blues
One immigrant's struggle with seasonal depression
Aadita's story
Stuck between feeling not quite white enough for white kids or brown enough for the South Asians in her Toronto hood, Aadita Chaudhury felt tribe-less as a teenage Indian immigrant in Canada. The cold season further diminished her mental health, which she wrote off as a "call to explore my own imagination and to indulge my creative side," through books, for example.
But every year, as winter came around, she prepared for the sadness, even when she did find her own tribe. Thoughts of suicide frequently surfaced.
"Winter became a depressing yet romanticized escape for me in a way I was never told was actually quite unhealthy... My chronic sadness, I assumed, was caused by nothing other than my own indolence during winter. I thought if I got out enough and lived my life as I had during other seasons, I would do just fine. Just as culture shock had left me, eventually, so would the winter blues."
As with other types of depression, seasonal affective disorder can get worse if left untreated.
Aadita's bouts soon began creeping up in the summer months. In 2015, she was officially diagnosed with year-round clinical depression and began taking medication. Here's how she describes her first winter after the diagnosis:
"It felt as if I had woken up with a new lease on life. I felt amazed by simple things like being productive, not sleeping till noon, and not being tired for no reason. It wasn’t an immediate process — I still had very, very bad days — but on the whole, it felt like the parts of me that had been frozen in the Canadian winters for years on end were being gently thawed by some benevolent universal spirit."
Aadita penned her story for The Toast back in 2015. I reached out to her (@ThylacineReport) to see where her head's at three winters later.
"I'm managing," she said, having recently decided to wean off her medication after noticing an improvement in symptoms. She was never formally diagnosed with SAD, but looking back, "it seemed like the most probably cause."
"Community, therapy and loving what you do" have been helping her cope, but she's unsure how much of a "cure" it'll all be in the long term. If it doesn't work out, she's happy to return to medication.
I've been reading some of Aadita's recent tweets and I gotta say, they're hella relatable.
This thread in particular:
Read Aadita's 2015 story for The Toast.
The science behind SAD
You've probably heard of seasonal affective disorder, appropriately abbreviated SAD. Unlike the milder often-called winter blues, SAD symptoms (similar to major depression's) are more likely to interfere with daily functions.
The condition's been linked to a chemical imbalance in the brain catalyzed by light deficiency, which is why folks often blame winter's short days and long nights for their crap moods.
In a given year, about 5 percent of the U.S. population experiences seasonal depression.
Summertime SAD, also a thing, is believed to be linked to the heat. (The Lana del Rey song is about an estranged lover, not the disorder.)
Are ~aliens~ at higher SAD risk?
There really isn't enough evidence to back up this claim.
Generally, the people most at risk for SAD include women (*sigh*), populations far from the equator and folks with a family history of the illness.
But I did find a few studies suggesting some immigrant populations may have a disproportionately high risk of developing SAD.
In Norway, a massive survey of its five major immigrant groups found Sri Lankans were least likely to experience SAD. Iranians were most likely to experience the disorder. (2013)
Another survey found African-born students enrolled in D.C.-area colleges and universities were more likely to develop summer SAD compared to their African-American counterparts. (2004)
A study of seasonality and health problems in native and non-native populations of Chukotka in Russia suggested native groups were more likely to tolerate extreme conditions during summer and winter. (2018)
As you can see, the research on SAD's prevalence among immigrant populations is scarce. Research on depression in general among immigrant populations is a little less scarce, but still limited.
One possible reason why: under-recognition and under-reporting of mental disorders. For example, the way we express our problems to doctors varies across cultures. A non-native individual with depression or anxiety might come in with complaints about back pain or headache or with other culture-specific idioms that leave them undiagnosed. But I'll save this topic for another time.
The point: If you're ticking off symptoms for SAD (listed below) or for any other type of depression, you're not alone.
More than 300 million people around the globe suffer from some form of depression. I'm one of 'em. And so is Aadita.
Symptoms of recurring fall/winter SAD:
fatigue and low energy
pervasively sad mood
loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
excessive sleeping
craving and eating more carbs
weight gain
difficulty concentrating
feelings of hopelessness or despair
frequent thoughts of suicide
Source: Mayo Clinic
Not sure if you fall into the bucket? Reach out to a loved one, make an appointment with your doctor and get screened for depression right away.
If you're thinking about suicide or worried about someone who might be, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifelinee at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to connect with a local crisis center. You can also text a crisis counselor by messaging 741741.
Elvia Magaña, 61, is a Mexican immigrant living in Yakima, Washington. She copes with seasonal sadness every year and finds comfort in embroidery and caring for her plants. Read here.
Raifa Rafiq, diagnosed with SAD in 2016, turns to books for some distraction or consolation. Read here.
How writer Wei Tchou told her hesitant Chinese immigrant parents why she needed a shrink. Read here.
Foreign Bodies is a monthly e-mail newsletter dedicated to the unique experiences of immigrants and refugees as they relate to coping with mental illness and wellness. It’s written and curated by Atlanta-based writer Fiza Pirani with copyediting and fact-checking help from New Jersey-based independent journalist Hanaa’ Tameez. Want to contribute your time or share your own #ForeignBodies story? Send an email to 4nbodies@gmail.com or say hi on Twitter @4nbodies. Special shout-out to Carter Fellow and friend Rory Linnane for the adorable animated logo!
If you're thinking about suicide or worried about someone who might be, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text 741741 to connect to a crisis counselor. You can also find a wealth of culture- or language-specific recommended resources on our site, foreignbodies.net.
