DECEMBER 2023  seasonal depression  

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a condition in which some people experience a significant mood change when seasons change. SAD is not a separate disorder but a type of depression. In most cases, symptoms start in the late fall or early winter and go away during the spring and summer. This is called winter-pattern SAD or winter depression. Experiencing depressive symptoms in the spring and summer is called summer-pattern SAD or summer depression.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is more common in people with depression or bipolar disorder, especially bipolar II disorder, which involves repeated depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes less severe than the typical manic episodes of bipolar I disorder. Additionally, people with SAD tend to have other conditions such as Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), eating disorder, anxiety disorder, or panic disorder. 

NIMH » Seasonal Affective Disorder (nih.gov)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) | SAMHSA

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) - Symptoms & causes - Mayo Clinic

Coffee with a Cause december 2023     

Seasonal Giving means different things to different people. The trick is balancing the need for financial donations supporting professionals who earn a living helping the disabled or neurodiverse… with equal opportunities for the disabled and neurodiverse to earn a living through meaningful employment and small business ownership. Both are proven to elevate economically disadvantaged groups in both the public and private sectors.

Barriers limit access and opportunities for neurodiverse job seekers and disability owned small businesses. This is only complicated by multiple government bureaucracies exacerbated by decentralized programs, eligibility criteria and delivery systems. State and local government cooperation as recommended in the 2020 Disparity Study and funds made available under HB 22-1117 would help create and sustain opportunities and address local gaps and disparities.

Disability and Health Disability Barriers | CDC

State of Colorado Disparity Study | OSC

HB-22-1117 Use Of Local Lodging Tax Revenue | Colorado General Assembly

Coffee with a Cause  december 2023  

Mountain Lifeworks recognizes poverty, employment, healthcare, housing and other community issues contribute to depression and suicide far more than originally thought. Recent U.S. Census data for 2022 revealed 20.4% of Colorado adults with a disability live in poverty. Combined with high turnover rates and a lack of expertise our most vulnerable neighbors slip through the cracks of under-performing systems and one-size-fits-all solutions. No system, agency or organization is perfect and why we advocate for adding proven options to complement existing efforts and establish new solutions where none currently exist.

Helping people help themselves through meaningful employment and self-employment opportunities can provide accommodation of work hours and nature of tasks while facilitating access to private health plans offering choices of healthcare providers and networks. Data indicates supplier diversity and other small business programs improve options and cost less than providing lifetime benefits. This shows how access to meaningful employment and small business programs improve outcomes for individuals while reducing government benefit costs.

2023 Experience of People with Disabilities in Rural America | (disabilitycompendium.org)

2023 COLORADO County-Level Data: Poverty | (disabilitycompendium.org)

Poverty Statistics | Poverty Estimates- Federal Safety Net

Remember a balanced approach uses verified data to identify problems and to propose actionable solutions. Only those willing to have difficult conversations can solve difficult problems. The first step to solving any problem is accepting the data indicating a problem... not blaming the messenger or method of delivery. 

So join us for Coffee with a Cause and let's keep the conversation going each month with more data and actionable real life solutions!