a winter-esque entry in MAY (thank you, rainy weather)

Today is stupid. 

 

Rainy days are getting to me, as shitty weather always does.

You know, the ol' Seasonal Affective Disorder thing (even though it's supposed to be MAY right now)? I never have formed a full opinion on that matter. Having a degree in Psychology, I am aware that every day we seem to be discovering more and more new mental illnesses, and I think it's getting a bit silly- we're becoming too obsessed with this psychology bullshit and are WAY too quick to overdiagnose / overmedicate the majority of the human population. Of course we would find a mental illness in everyone if we dug down and deep inside their soul.

At the same time, I am also the first to say that __________ disorder exists. Example: Adult OCD can definitely be a serious illness that can potentially take over someone's life. Same goes for ADD in adults. So I'm not saying that everyone's said diagnosis is bullshit- many people do indeed have a legitimate mental disorder (I don't know if it's the water, the air, both, or none). Being that I've spent many, many hours employed in various psychiatric units, I can tell you with confidence- yes, they can exist. Yes, they can cause mass destruction to one's life. I've seen it firsthand. I know!

However, I can also honestly say that I'm not sure how I feel about this whole Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD- how cute are those initials, btw) thing. As animals, isn't it natural that we feel less sociable and gain weight in the winter? It's like our way of hibernating- though we don't actually hibernate like animals, there is no denying that we do develop hibernate-like tendencies in the wintertime.

As humans, I don't think we're supposed to have the same amount of energy in the winter as we do in the summer. It's in our nature to be lazy during the winter- to sleep more and eat fattening, carb-rich foods- the human version of hibernation. And then we step on the scale, see that we're gaining weight and naturally, we get depressed about it. DUH.

I'm just not sure if I buy this whole Seasonal Affective Disorder thing and apparently, neither does the entire field of Psychology, since it's not listed in the current edition of Psychology's bible, the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). I wish it were a real illness, as I could definitely benefit for treatment from it. But honestly, I just think that it's an "evolution" thing. As a solution, maybe we need to accept that we just can't be as sociable and energetic in the winter.  Or, another solution: move to California (which is my plan). 

The OBVIOUS symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, per AltMD.com (and highly dramatic, if I might add)