Does the weather make us sad? Meteorological determinants of mood and depression in the general population

It is a common and well-spread belief that people feel more depressed when the weather is bad. However, whether meteorological factors such as temperature, sunshine and rainfall can actually account for variations in the prevalence of depression in the general population has yet to be investigated. We aimed to assess the influence of weather conditions on the seasonal variation of depression observed in the general population. We used data from a large-scale depression-screening programme in the south of the Netherlands. Seasonal prevalence of DSM-IV classified major depression and sad mood in a sample of 14,478 participants from the general population was calculated, and linked to mean daily temperature, duration of sunshine and duration of rainfall in logistic regression analyses. The prevalence of major depression and sad mood showed seasonal variation, with peaks in the summer and fall. Weather conditions were not associated with mood, and did not explain the seasonal variation we found. We conclude that, contrary to popular belief, weather conditions and sad mood or depression do not seem to be associated. Future studies might use daily measures of well-being as outcome.

[1]  S. Pallesen,et al.  Seasonality is associated with anxiety and depression: the Hordaland health study. , 2008, Journal of affective disorders.

[2]  Leora N. Rosen,et al.  Effect of daily variation in weather and sleep on seasonal affective disorder , 1991, Psychiatry Research.

[3]  S. Hajat,et al.  Relationship between daily suicide counts and temperature in England and Wales. , 2007, The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science.

[4]  M. Zimmerman,et al.  The Diagnostic Inventory for Depression: a self-report scale to diagnose DSM-IV major depressive disorder. , 2004, Journal of clinical psychology.

[5]  James N. Butcher,et al.  Validity and utility of computer-based test interpretation. , 2000 .

[6]  J. Hassi,et al.  Season and mental illness in an arctic area of northern Finland , 1994, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[7]  M. Zimmerman,et al.  Diagnosing Major Depressive Disorder VI: Performance of an Objective Test as a Diagnostic Criterion , 2006, The Journal of nervous and mental disease.

[8]  Raymond W Lam,et al.  Seasonal affective disorder: a clinical update. , 2007, Annals of clinical psychiatry : official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists.

[9]  D. Watson.  Mood and temperament , 2000 .

[10]  T. Bolwig,et al.  The influence of climate on development of winter depression. , 1996, Journal of affective disorders.

[11]  A. Magnússon.  An overview of epidemiological studies on seasonal affective disorder , 2000, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica.

[12]  R. de Graaf,et al.  Seasonal variations in mental disorders in the general population of a country with a maritime climate: findings from the Netherlands mental health survey and incidence study. , 2005, American journal of epidemiology.

[13]  Rupa Basu,et al.  Relation between elevated ambient temperature and mortality: a review of the epidemiologic evidence. , 2002, Epidemiologic reviews.

[14]  A. Well,et al.  Seasonal Variation of Depression and Other Moods: A Longitudinal Approach , 2000, Journal of biological rhythms.

[15]  A. Magnússon,et al.  The Diagnosis, Symptomatology, and Epidemiology of Seasonal Affective Disorder , 2005, CNS Spectrums.

[16]  J. Butcher,et al.  Computers in clinical assessment: historical developments, present status, and future challenges. , 2004, Journal of clinical psychology.

[17]  Solfrid E. Lilleeng,et al.  Seasonal variation in suicides and in admissions to hospital for mania and depression. , 2002, Journal of affective disorders.

[18]  M. Zimmerman,et al.  Case identification of depression with self-report questionnaires , 2002, Psychiatry Research.

[19]  A. Mathé,et al.  Seasonal mood variation among Japanese residents of Stockholm , 1995, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica.

[20]  N. Ozaki,et al.  Prevalence of seasonal difficulties in mood and behavior among Japanese civil servants. , 1995, The American journal of psychiatry.

[21]  R. Cochrane,et al.  Seasonal Changes in Affective State Measured Prospectively and Retrospectively , 1996, British Journal of Psychiatry.

[22]  A. Mykletun,et al.  Monthly variation in prevalence rates of comorbid depression and anxiety in the general population at 63-65 degrees North: the HUNT study. , 2008, Journal of affective disorders.

[23]  F. Goodwin,et al.  Seasonal affective disorder. A description of the syndrome and preliminary findings with light therapy. , 1984, Archives of general psychiatry.