The seasons turned, turned, turned—and so did Ruth’s mood each winter. Then she learned she has a treatable condition.
Every year it was the same for Ruth. While her family and friends talked excitedly about the upcoming holiday season, Ruth quietly wallowed in the “Bah, humbug!” mindset famously espoused by Ebenezer Scrooge.
Unlike some people, Ruth didn't hate the holidays or what they represent. In fact, she thoroughly enjoyed the family traditions, decorations and special foods that accompanied the season from as far back as she could remember. Her problem was less about the celebrations and more about how she felt at this time of the year. For whatever reason, Thanksgiving signaled the beginning of a time when Ruth simply felt awful—lethargic, glum and indifferent to her surroundings. She didn’t understand why she felt this way; she just did. It wasn’t as if there were greater expectations in her work as office manager of a mid-sized dental practice, nor did she experience any significant changes in her relationship with her husband. She couldn’t attribute her feelings to added stress.
So why did she plummet into dark despair at the start of winter every year? Her friends were of little help.
They advised her to try varied approaches that ranged from “party harder” to “stop being so selfish” until Ruth finally decided to visit her primary care physician to discuss her symptoms. Her doctor quickly ruled out thyroid and iron deficiencies. She recommended that Ruth see a local psychologist to assess her condition further.
“Tell me everything that seems different for you when the holiday season begins,” queried Dr. Wiseman. Ruth was surprised at the long list of issues that surfaced with the therapist’s prompting. “I feel tired, so tired, and extremely sad. I’m far more anxious than normal and don’t care if I eat or not. My husband tells me I’m irritable, and I know I bite his head off at the slightest provocation. I’m just not a nice person right now. I’m avoiding my family and friends, which is not typical for me; I’d really rather be alone. Truthfully, sometimes I don’t care how anyone responds to me. I just feel hopeless!”
