Seasonal depression doesn’t always look like someone crying alone in their dorm. It may be the student sleeping for over 10 hours a night, skipping class due to the weather being gloomy or downing energy drinks to push through another study session.

Raime Thibodeaux, the director of mental health at the LSU Student Health Center, said what many students call “seasonal depression” may be a major depressive episode mixed with a seasonal pattern. Symptoms of the episode return as the days get shorter and nights get longer.

Stress can often trigger an episode and derail students’ routines. With finals and winter break coming up, Thibodeaux and the rest of the mental health staff at the Student Health Center are providing students with various resources catered to their needs.

“Therapy is a way to tend to your mental health, but it’s by no means the only way,” Thibodeaux said.

Services offered

The mental health center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Students in need of support have access to a variety of mental health services. The services include individual therapy, same-day access therapy, group counseling and after-hours virtual sessions through Uwill.

Uwill is a virtual platform that is relatively new to the Student Health Center. It is not limited to full-time students and is an enrollment-based package. It is a helpful tool for out-of-state students since many LSU therapists cannot practice across state lines when students are not on-campus.

Students can find Thibodeaux and her staff on the second floor of the Student Health Center. All therapy appointments are covered by student fee bills for full-time students. Students can either call or walk-in to set up an appointment.

Wait times depend on staff availability and the demand from the student body. Thibodeaux said that at the beginning of this semester, the staff experienced an influx of students and up to three-week wait times.

“We usually have approximately a two-week wait for the first available appointments,” Thibodeaux said. “But this semester it stayed closer to three weeks which is a little longer than usual.”

The cause

October through December can be rough for students across the country. Midterms and finals lead to a hefty load of academic stress combined with holiday stress.

Traveling home can cause students financial stress or mental stress depending on if they come from a supportive or unsupportive home environment.

“For some people, going home is a treat,” Thibodeaux said. “For others, home isn’t as supportive as they’d like it to be, and it’s not the smoothest place to be.”

Another factor is daylight savings time. Having less exposure to natural sunlight significantly affects a person’s mental health. Less daylight means more time indoors and less time interacting with others. This can lead to self-isolation which also negatively affects a person’s mental health.

The technical term for seasonal depression is a major depressive episode attached to a seasonal pattern. The depression comes and goes like seasons and is primarily seen in the winter time.

“In some instances, it actually can happen in the summer,” Thibodeaux said. “Sometimes the heat can be so oppressive that it forces people inside, and that looks very similar to winter.”

Thibodeaux said having low vitamin D can also simulate depression. When skin is exposed to the sun, the body makes vitamin D which plays a vital role in mood regulation. Being exposed to the sun for at least 15 minutes is an easy way to maintain vitamin D levels.

Thibodeaux also said students should be careful with how much they sleep during winter, since sleeping too much can be harmful.

“Once you become an adult, if you’re sleeping more than ten hours a night every single night, that can actually worsen depression rather than help it,” Thibodeaux said. “Most people need somewhere between that seven-to-nine hour window. It’s pretty rare that someone truly only needs five hours a night.”

Daily habits Thibodeaux recommends

Thibodeaux shared some habits for students to practice when they feel an episode coming on.

Keep a consistent sleep schedule

Setting regular bed and wake up times can help regulate mood. An irregular sleep schedule can have negative consequences on mood and make daily functions difficult.

Complete physical activity

Regular movement can be walking to class or to your dorm’s laundry room. Thibodeaux said students do not have to wake up at 6 a.m. to go to the UREC.

Movement is proven to help blood flow and oxygen circulation. It also helps with studying. Completing a physical activity right before a study session can help the brain focus and absorb information quickly.

“Whenever we move, blood and oxygen goes to our brain, and we can absorb information, take in information and recall information better,” Thibodeaux said.

Manage caffeine intake

While the occasional cup of coffee isn’t harmful, too much caffeine can mimic anxiety symptoms. In extreme cases, too much caffeine can also contribute to paranoia.

According to the American Medical Association, it is generally recommended to have a maximum of two to three, 12 ounce cups of coffee per day.

“Too much caffeine can make it look like you have an anxiety issue, when really what you have is a caffeine issue,” Thibodeaux said.

Socialize

Thibodeaux says taking a break from screens and having human interaction throughout the day matters, whether it’s greeting the barista at CC’s before class or saying hello to the Tiger Trails driver.

“Sometimes it can be easy to only be with our phone and only engaged in technology,” Thibodeaux said. “Going out your way to have human contact is really important.”

Give a helping hand

Helping out in the LSU or Baton Rouge community can boost endorphins which is important for someone experiencing a dark period of depression. Volunteering helps distract people from internal worries and focuses them more outwards on the task at hand.

“When we’re helping somebody else out, it takes the attention off of us and gets us focused on something outside of ourselves,” Thibodeaux said. “And that can be really helpful for depression.”

Though therapy can be helpful, Thibodeaux said there are multiple ways to care for mental health.

“If you’ve tried all the usual techniques — working out, eating well, getting good sleep, interacting with your friends — and it’s just not working like it used to, that’s usually an indicator it might be a good idea to reach out to mental health services,” Thibodeaux said.

Therapy helps address deep-rooted issues that can cause depression. Depression can be seasonal or tied to emotional issues stemming from childhood, which changes in one’s lifestyle may not fix on their own.

“We’re here when students need us, but I never want anyone to think that struggling means you only have one option,” Thibodeaux said. “There are so many ways to take care of yourself and you deserve to feel supported.”

Resources

• 24 hour crisis and emotional support number: (225)- 924- LSU1 (5781)
• Mental Health Service number: (225)- 578- 8774
• National Suicide Hotline number: 988