“The Dutch are the most depressed people in Europe.” Pieter Smit, Volkskrant, 6 November 2013
According to The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010 (GBD 2010), the Dutch are the most depressed people in Europe. GBD 2010 consisted of 488 researchers from 303 institutions in 50 countries and a consortium of prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and the World Health Organization. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GPD 210 is one of the most comprehensive studies ever carried out, a collaborative effort of experts in epidemiology, economics, statistics and other disciplines to measure levels and trends in all major diseases, injuries and risk factors.
Not yet shy of two months ago, the Columbia University’s Earth Institute listed the Netherlands as the 4th happiest nation in the 2013 World Happiness Report. Let’s also not forget that Dutch kids have consistently ranked as the happiest kids in the world. How can one interpret these bipolar results?
As reported in the Volkskrant, University of Amsterdam Professor of Psychiatry Jan Swinkels reminds us that “Culture plays an important role. We are a somber people, but that doesn’t mean we need more help than the Germans or Belgians. A lot depends on individual context.”
photo courtesy of Melody Rae Photography
While I am still trying to comprehend the results of the study, I am aware that there persists a certain stigma around mental health issues that may not be openly addressed among the somber Dutch. Rather than dismissing it completely, I hope that the research findings allows other qualified Dutch health professionals to provide their own expertise on the matter. While there is a chance that the Dutch may not be the most depressed people in Europe, the winter months brings about a melancholic aura in the Netherlands that cannot be easily ignored or dismissed.
What I do know is that from my own personal experience living in the Netherlands, I am prone to suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) from October to April (Dutch fall and winter months). SAD, as recognized by the Mayo Clinic, is a form of depression that occurs during the winter months due to reduced exposure to sunlight. Not surprising given that there is an average of only 40 hours of sunlight in December and January in the Low Countries.
Symptoms of SAD include:
- Depression
- Hopelessness
- Anxiety
- Loss of energy
- Heavy, “leaden” feeling in the arms or legs
- Social withdrawal
- Oversleeping
- Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
- Weight gain
- Difficulty concentrating
I could, in true Dutch fashion, start complaining with the rest of the Dutch just how utterly disenchanting and oppressive eight out of the twelve months of the year truly is. However, this post is more about trying to lift up our spirits already heavy from the dark gray clouds, the blistering cold wind, the perpetual rain/hail/snow that will haunt us for the next couple of months. I’m here to share with you my 4 ways of coping with Dutch winter blues:
Disclaimer: I am a seasoned expat in the Netherlands and would love to give advice to other expats and fellow Dutchies suffering from the winter blues. However, I am not a licensed physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, psychologist, psychiatrist or therapist. Please consult a registered medical professional if you feel that you are suffering from depression and/or seasonal affective disorder.
1. Take a Sun Vacation or Better Yet, Dream One Away (Or Do Both)
I can clearly remember heading towards my general practitioner’s office feeling I could possibly be depressed my first October here as an expat. I was in love with my soul-mate after all and didn’t understand what I was feeling. After telling her my symptoms and talking for a while, she smiled and told me to take a sun vacation, doctor’s orders. Ever since that fateful GP visit (and before becoming parents), my husband and I would always spend about 2-3 weeks in California every December. Not exactly a stereotypical sun vacation, but we got plenty of sunshine along with incredible food, beautiful nature, and perhaps the best cure to any winter blues – sharing love and laughter among our dearest friends and family in back in the Bay Area. There would always include a mini-roadtrip to Southern California too.
If you can’t actually take a sun vacation, Pinterest one anyway. A New York Times article highlighted a study conducted by researchers in the Netherlands that measured the effects that vacations have on overall happiness and how long the effects lasted. The study, published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, highlighted that the largest increase in happiness came from the simple act of planning a vacation. The effect of anticipation for going on vacation lasted on average eight weeks. Interestingly, the happiness levels of people quickly dropped upon returning from vacation.
2. Take Vitamin D Supplements
Please consult your general practitioner before taking Vitamin D supplements.
You might want to consider taking Vitamin D supplements. Some studies suggest an association between low vitamin D levels in the blood and various mood disorders, including depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In one study, taking vitamin D regularly was found to improve symptoms of SAD better than light therapy. Further research studies are necessary to confirm these findings.
3. Surround Yourself With Friends and Family (Preferably Positive People)
If I ever actually get the chance (the joys of expat motherhood), my inner introvert self prefers staying at home, getting lost in a good book, and writing behind my macbook air, safe and warm in front of the fire place. I do, however, make a concerted effort, to spend some time with other kindred spirits (my girls, you know who you are). In a compelling article titled “Top five regrets of the dying“, letting golden friendship slip by through the years was one of the biggest regrets of those lying on their death bed. Hopefully, these treasured souls are generally a ray of sunshine too because hanging out with really pessimistic people may get you even more depressed.
4. Exercise
Who could ever forget Legally Blond’s Elle Wood’s (Reese Witherspoon) ingeneous theory that “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” While exercising outside in the blistering Dutch cold might not be everyone’s cup of tea, going to a gym may do wonders for your mental health. If you’re a mom and have trouble finding a babysitter to work-out, five minute dances to your favorite songs interspersed throughout the day with your baby/ toddler can go a long way to keeping those blues in check and making memories with your precious bundle of joy.
Do you really think that the Dutch are the most depressed people in Europe?
Do you ever experience SAD? If yes, what are your coping strategies? Are they similar to mine? I’d love hear how other expats and Dutchies survive the winter months in the Low Countries.
