Roy Cohen has never liked summer. Growing up, he had no desire to join in with friends who spent their vacation months playing outside. Although he ran track and field during the school year, Cohen would lapse into lethargy during the warmer months. Even camp couldn’t cure his malaise.
“I’m a pretty happy fellow, and I tend to be optimistic in general, but for some reason [the sadness] really hits in the summer,” the now-62-year-old tells The Post.
The impact can be serious. “I ended up becoming almost immobilized. I would dawdle and just read magazines — do nothing,” the Upper East Side career coach recalls of his worst summer days. “It was almost as if my brain would empty itself.”
Cohen has seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a transient form of depression that flares up at certain times of year. An estimated 10 million Americans live with SAD, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, with about 10 percent suffering most in summer, as Cohen does.
‘It used to make me angry, because everybody was like, “Summer is fantastic” … I’d see these people having fun and think, “What’s wrong with me?”‘
When many of us are blissfully day-drinking on rooftop bars and sunning out on the Rockaways, those with summer SAD tend to develop depressive symptoms such as hopelessness, a lack of interest in activities once enjoyed and difficulty concentrating.
In those ways, summer SAD is similar to the winter blues. But the conditions have some key differences, says psychiatry researcher Ian Cook, MD, director of the depression program at UCLA.
While wintertime SAD often brings on weight gain, oversleeping and sluggishness — possibly due to decreased levels of feel-good serotonin — summertime SAD often is marked by weight loss, insomnia and anxiety.
The research is preliminary. “There are basically two theories: one that summer SAD is biological, another that it’s behavioral and psychological,” Cook says.
Because summer SAD is particularly prevalent in tropical and subtropical climates, some scientists believe the condition is linked to how the brain reacts to external heat. Anecdotally, many patients report that late July and August — a stretch known for its oppressive heat and humidity — are particularly rough.
Psychological factors could play a role, too. “There’s societal pressure to have fun and frolic in the sun, and if you don’t feel like it, that can intensify anxiety and depression,” Cook says.
Seamus Kirst, a 26-year-old author who lives in Bed-Stuy, says that feeling can create a lonely sense of paralysis. “In New York, there’s pressure to leave on weekends and take advantage of the nice weather,” he says. “I’ll look outside and be like, ‘Oh it’s so nice out,’ and end up just staying in. Then all of a sudden it’s 5 p.m.”
For Barbara Lynn Cantone, a 46-year-old wellness therapist and end-of-life doula based in Astoria, summer SAD once sent her into an agitated state.
“It used to make me angry, because everybody was like, ‘Summer is fantastic,’ and I was like, ‘Are you f–king kidding me?’” she recalls. “I’d see these people having fun and think, ‘What’s wrong with me?’
“I feel tired a lot of the time [in the summer],” she adds. “Very low energy and less hopeful.”
Cantone recognized that she had summer SAD about 10 years ago. And acknowledging her condition has helped her manage it. Now she is extra vigilant about seeing her therapist regularly during the hottest months, does yoga to keep physically active and — since the city tends to heighten summer’s effects on her — arranges her schedule to accommodate three-day weekends upstate with her family.
Also freeing? “Giving up the guilt that comes with not being able to do certain things, such as summer concerts,” says Cantone. “I know what I need, and sometimes what I need is to simply be where it is dark and cool.”
Secrets of sunny moods
UCLA psychiatry researcher Ian Cook, MD, offers these strategies for combating summer SAD.
Keep busy:
“Plan enjoyable activities every week — schedule a friends’ movie night or go out to dinner,” Cook says. If you’re a parent whose kids are home for the summer, Cook suggests keeping them on a schedule, as well. “You don’t need to micromanage them, but you don’t want to wake up each day wondering, ‘Gosh what am I going to do?’”
Move, then snooze
“Physical activity is recommended for winter SAD, and it can be good for winter SAD as well,” Cook says. Exercise helps ensure restorative sleep. Also helpful: “Go to bed at the same time each night, and wake up more or less at the same time in the morning,” he adds. If you’re sensitive to sunlight, blackout curtains can help.
Seek help
If behavioral adjustments aren’t helpful, don’t settle for suffering on your own. “In general, when sadness and depression are interfering with one’s life, it’s important to see a professional,” Cook says.