Reference: Rohan, K. J., Meyerhoff, J., Ho, S.-Y., Roecklein, K. A., Nillni, Y. I., Hillhouse, J. J., DeSarno, M. J., & Vacek, P. M. (2019). A measure of cognitions specific to seasonal depression: Development and validation of the Seasonal Beliefs Questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 31(7), 925–938. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000715 Do you feel sad during winter? Some people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a depression they feel during fall and winter. Psychologists used patients’ therapy statements to develop the Seasonal Beliefs Questionnaire (SBQ) to diagnose seasonal depression. They used typical thoughts called "seasonal beliefs," such as feeling bad in winter, but good in summer, blaming winter for problems, missing sunlight, and not noticing seasonal changes. Researchers gave the SBQ to over 500 Vermont student participants with seasonal depression and those with regular depression. The SBQ discriminated SAD patients from both nonseasonal major depressive disorder patients and healthy persons. Then, researchers used the SBQ to detect changes in seasonal beliefs in 170 SAD patients who received Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for SBQ thoughts or regular therapy. They found that although both treatments were effective, CBT for seasonal depression was better at preventing seasonal beliefs from happening again. Lesson? If you feel gloomy during winter and darker days, remember it's not just about the weather! It's also about how you think about it! Seek a CBT therapist to identify your thoughts and how to change them. Get out in nature. Appreciate changing seasons. When the sun is shining, soak up the sun!

Written by Jarret Bain B.S.