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TEXAS MEDICAL ASSOCIATION – The holiday season is a time for joy and celebration, but it can be difficult for people struggling with depression and anxiety. Physicians say it is important to recognize some common signs of behavioral health decline and seek medical help as soon as possible.
“Every problem is easier to solve if you solve it right when it first happens and don’t wait. There are a lot more mental health problems due to people not getting treatment than people getting treatment too early,” said Sarah Lynnette Martin, MD, a member of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) Committee on Behavioral Health. She is a psychiatrist at Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso and an assistant professor at Texas Tech Health El Paso.
Dr. Martin urges families and friends to check on loved ones during the holidays, especially those with a history of depression and anxiety, and look for changes in their moods.
“At the holidays they’re making excuses not to come to events that they’ve always enjoyed,” she offered as one example. “They’ve lost that spark of enjoying life.”
Changes in sleeping patterns and appetite also are indicators that someone is not feeling well.
Physicians say losing a loved one and loneliness are common reasons for feeling depressed during the holidays.
“It’s so easy to be lonely these days,” said Dr. Martin. “It used to be you had to go to the grocery store and you had to go to the post office, and you knew all those people that you would see there.” But with more people working from home and with groceries and gifts being delivered to people’s doorsteps, the reasons for going out have dwindled. Removing those day-to-day interactions can contribute to loneliness.
Dr. Martin also points out that winter’s shorter days and less sunlight also can affect people’s moods. She said it is important for people to get out in the sunshine during the winter. “People do better mentally if they have more sunlight. So, getting outside in the middle of the day is a great idea,” she said. She also recommends exercising during the holidays to stay physically and mentally fit.
Losing a loved one can also make the holidays especially difficult. To counter this feeling, Dr. Martin recommends celebrating the memory of people they have lost.
“It can be sad, but mostly it’s beneficial to people,” she said. “If you do something special and remember them, most likely the good will outweigh the bad.”
Dr. Martin warns that there are two worst-case scenarios that need immediate medical attention: thoughts of self-harm or a suicide attempt.
If someone is feeling suicidal, Dr. Martin recommends they be taken to a psychiatric hospital. If the individual has inflicted self-harm they should go to an emergency department.
Before a situation escalates to that, however, it is important to ask those who are struggling with depression how they are feeling, including even asking them if they have suicidal thoughts. “There’s a lot of research that shows asking someone if they’re suicidal does not make them suicidal. Asking if they’re suicidal lets them understand how seriously you are taking their symptoms,” said Dr. Martin.
Anyone suffering emotionally and mentally during the holidays and wishing to talk to someone can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – available daily, 24 hours a day. The TMA behavioral health webpage also has resources to help people struggling with loneliness and anxiety.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 57,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
