The winter season is creeping up on us slowly. Leaves are turning brown, temperatures are dropping to the 40’s. But there is something else that is creeping up on the student body. Seasonal depression. According to Dr. Lyness from Kidshealth.org, seasonal depression “is depression that happens to a person only at a specific time of year.” This specific time of year is mostly during the fall and winter, when the days are shorter. 

This condition greatly affects other situations going on in the individual’s life, such as relationships with family and friends, work, and most commonly, school. This is not some rare issue that only affects a small group of students. Seasonal depression is way more common than you think. 

Student 1 says, “From time to time, [seasonal depression] affects me greatly. The first semester of my sophomore year, I barely made it out alive, I just wanted things to go away but they never did, it stayed like that all year until COVID hit. Ironically things got better in quarantine.” 

Student 2 says, “I don’t do my work, rather I push it off until the very last minute, which in return makes my grades suffer. My feelings, everything around me, I can feel it become numb. I just started locking myself away from everyone, and at that point I know that my depression is about to take effect.” 

The feelings of numbness and loss of motivation as the weather grows more gloomy explains the drop in academic achievement of students during the winter. 

“I don’t do my work, like if I’m depressed and I have a lot of work to do then I do none of it. Literally none” (1). 

Seasonal depression not only affects academic performance, but it also affects social life. Disinterest in hanging out with peers, loss of communication with family members, and more. 

“I start to ignore people, keep myself to my own devices. Mostly I try to avoid everything and everybody because I feel more like a burden when I’m upset more than I feel like an actual person” (1). 

“I become more irritated and mad at my peers” (2). 

Every year, more and more students begin to suffer with the same issues. However, students feel that teachers are not hearing them, or don’t notice them. Whenever grades start dropping, whenever attendance becomes sparse, teachers tend to think it’s just laziness. In reality, it’s much more than that. Students need help and support. They long for the comfort of their elders. They want to be told that everything will be alright. Sometimes, they’re left in their own darkness and no one notices. 

To all teachers, it is guaranteed that there is at least one student in each of your classes that is experiencing seasonal depression as you are reading this. If you notice they’re not turning work in, paying attention in class, or don’t put in as much effort as they did in the beginning of the year, reach out to them. They need help. They need your help. 

These are dark times (no pun intended) everyone. As corny as it sounds, the light is at the end of the tunnel (that light being the end of winter), and if you’ve made it this far, you can make it past this semester and start fresh.