Posted by jrbecker76 on April 25, 2014, at 22:37:29
This topic doesnt belong here in Babble as it isnt med related, but neither does it neatly fit into other boards' topics either (perhaps it should have been posted on Social), however, Im hoping this might be an important enough of an issue to be able to discuss here.For years, mid to late Spring has always been my worst time of year. Winters are long and hard here in Chicago and the lack of sunlight and cold climate definitely impacts my mood and functioning. However, the winter pales in comparison to what I have waiting for me every April and May. My usual melancholic depression turns more anxious and dysphoric, my energy is sapped to the level of exhaustion, and my thoughts can often times even trend towards considering self-harm. In recent years, I began finally picking up on this pattern. After reading more about the interplays of depression and pollen allergies, I began tracking the correlation between daily tree pollen counts and my mood. Sure enough, Ive found a very strong positive association between worsening mood and a higher tree pollen count. On days when there is a rain and the pollen count is diminished, my mood is substantially better. By around early June, Im usually on the upswing again, and in recent years Ive tracked this remission and have correlated it with waning tree pollen activity in my area.
Whats unusual is that I dont always show a lot of typical signs of allergic rhinitis such as nasal congestion during these periods. In terms of treatment, Claritin and Zyrtec actually make me irritable and worsen my mood on their own, but Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) does seem to help take the extra edge of the depressive symptoms. Obviously, using a sedating antihistamine daily has its tradeoffs though.
Now Im sure some of you are already aware of the current research relating pollen allergies and depression, but if youre not, you might be surprised to know that the peak rates of suicide during the year match the tree pollen season (with a nadir in April and May). Other research finds that bipolar sufferers more than MDD sufferers are prone to pollen's effects on mood. Id thought Id paste some of the related research Ive found on the subject. Id be curious to hear from you all on whether you have noticed similar patterns.
Research:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22329476
http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v10/n3/full/4001620a.html
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/5/e002462.long
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2592251/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1949487/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17458322
Popular press discussions
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/20/allergies.depression.moods/
Peer discussions:
http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/3806/7762/spring/
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040308/msgs/323727.html
Pollen count tracker by regional area: http://www.aaaai.org/global/nab-pollen-counts.aspx
Pollen forecast by zip: http://www.pollen.com/allergy-forecast.asp?zip=60601&affiliateid=6899
poster:jrbecker76
thread:1064786
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140419/msgs/1064786.html