Getting Help for Seasonal Affective Disorder This Winter

Let’s be honest, the winter months can be a bit grim. The days are getting darker and colder, both of which can have a big impact on our mood, how we sleep, and our appetites. If you have symptoms like this, that often feels like depression and won’t go away, there’s a chance you have Seasonal Affective Disorder.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Seasonal Affective Disorder (otherwise known as SAD) is a common form of depression that affects people over the winter months. More than one in three over the age of 16 suspects they suffer from SAD or low moods this time of year, and more than one in 20 people across the UK have been officially diagnosed. Men are more likely to be diagnosed, but women are more likely to suffer from low moods this time of year than men.

Some of the symptoms of SAD, as explained by The Mental Health Foundation, include things like…

• Feeling sad or hopeless
• Having a lack of energy or none at all
• Regularly feeling anxious or worried
• Lack of concentration
• Feeling suicidal

Some people may even face further physical symptoms, such as headaches or heart palpitations.

While these are all very worrying symptoms and things to look out for in yourself and others, having suicidal thoughts is particularly worrying in our industry. As we’ve discussed previously, suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45, and sadly in our industry male site workers are three times more likely to commit suicide than the average male in the UK.

How Can I Get Help?

If you are experiencing any symptoms of SAD, we encourage you to seek help. It may be that you could make some small lifestyle changes, or it may be that you need to seek professional therapy. But it’s best that you seek out professional help from your GP or any one of the below services in the first instance to discuss what sort of help you might need to get you through the winter months.

• NHS Crisis Team: 0808 196 9127. The team is available all year to offer advice, support, and an assessment if required.
• Mind: 0300 123 3393. Their information line is available from 9 am-6 pm, Monday to Friday.
• Legal Line: 0300 466 6463, Monday to Friday from 9 am-6 pm. Legal information and general advice on mental health-related laws, available.
• Samaritans: 116123. Whatever you’re going through, the team is there to help any time for free.
• Citizens Advice: Adviceline (England): 0800 144 8848, Advicelink (Wales): 0800 702 2020. An adviser can be contacted through their national phone service.
• Relay UK: If you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say to the team on 18001 then 0800 144 8884.

If you’re working on one of our sites and are having trouble, please consider calling one of the above phone numbers, but also contact your PSI Global account manager. Our account managers are on-site regularly and are more than happy to take the time to sit and talk about how you’re feeling and what solutions we can offer.

You can also call our team on 0800 009 2997 if you’re unsure who your site account manager is and set up a time to talk.