What Are the Causes of Diurnal Depression?

Avoid confusing diurnal depression with the concept of simply “not being a morning person.” The roots of this illness are likely have both physiological and environmental causes.

Identification

• Diurnal depression, usually a symptom of a more general disorder, is characterized by extreme depression in the morning that gradually improves over the course of the day. Depression does not disappear as the day moves on, it only decreases.

Significance

• The affliction likely finds origin in the biological clock of the body, also called the circadian clock or circadian rhythm. All physiological functions follow a 24-hour pattern; this flow drastically alters in those with diurnal depression.

Time Frame

• Symptoms of depression appear differently as a day progresses. “They tend to be more severe in the morning, improving throughout the day,” says Michael Berk, Professor of Psychiatry at Melbourne University in Australia. “This diurnal shift in mood is particularly common in the melancholic patterns of depression.”

Hormones

• The release of melatonin and cortisol, hormones that affect sleep patterns and, in turn, are affected by light stimulation, may occur differently in those with diurnal depression.

Considerations

• Those with diurnal depression may be especially prone to seasonal affective disorder, a condition where depression worsens due to lack of sunlight.