.         As it gets darker outside and the days grow colder and shorter, there are lots of emotions ruminating in the halls of Westfield High. Many students and staff are excited about the holidays and the fun that comes with these winter celebrations, but many more are feeling something else. Something that comes with winter’s darkness and frost. Seasonal depression.
.         It’s a far more common mental illness in teens than many adults would suspect; the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found in 2018 that more than 16% of kids ages 13-17 have developed depression in America; that’s nearly one in six of this country’s youth diagnosed with a serious mental illness today. Depression affects one’s ability to feel joy or interest in life, and the prospect of being alive seems grim and unappealing, and feelings of depression increase substantially in the cold of the winter.
.         Alina Rashid, 11, reflected on the weather’s impact on her mood. “I hate that it’s dark outside so early since I don’t wanna do anything when I go home; I’m just tired all the time,” she sighed. “My sad thoughts are always the same,” she continues, “I think that life is kind of pointless. I don’t really feel dread about it, I feel more dull. I don’t know why, maybe it’s just when I feel hopeless in winter I turn to dissociation as a coping mechanism.”
.         Aaron Sulkin, English and journalism teacher, adds to her downcast thoughts: “I think the weather and mood definitely connect, for sure. There’s this sort of despondency that comes with it being dark, like when you get out of school and there’s no light left and you go home and it’s just dark and you have work to do and it’s dark.” he sighs. “It feels like it slows you down, like I’ve lost a lot of momentum, and I’m always surprised by the time; it always seems much later than it actually is, I’m exhausted, I’m tired, and then I look at the clock and think it must be nine o’clock at night, but oh! It’s four-thirty.”
.         On a lighter note, the holidays are coming up. Sulkin says, “I really like winter, I do, actually. I find it to be very romantic, the snow, it’s very warm when you have to stay in, there’s all the lights, I find that to be very nice. This part of winter is fantastic; ask me all these questions again in March, and I promise you, I’ll have a different answer.” Alina adds, “I’m looking forward to winter break; usually, I’m relieved when there’s a break because I don’t have to do work.” She laughs.
.         If you’re in an emergency or are contemplating suicide, there’s help out there. Call or text 988, the 24-hour suicide and crisis hotline.