Is There Such a Thing as ‘Manic Season’?

Many of my patients who have been diagnosed in the past with Bipolar Disorder have heard me ask them during their visits with me in the early spring season: “How has your mood been? You know we are now in ‘Manic Season’.”

Mania can actually occur any time of the year if one is given the “perfect storm” of situational stress or sleep deprivation. However, just as depression can often be more prevalent in the darker months of late fall and winter, mania too is often associated with the season of spring with the rapidly increasing length of daylight hours. The decrease in exposure to daylight in the fall/winter months can lead to a decrease in the production of neurotransmitters serotonin and/or dopamine for many sensitive people which can in turn be experienced as depression or anxiety- also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (see our post on SAD).

The increase in exposure to sunlight in the spring (from about March 1st until about the end of May) can lead to an increase in the production of serotonin and/or dopamine in some sensitive Read More→