The beautiful period of Indian summer is now definitely over, and we are well into a damp and chilly autumn. In the mornings we wake up in darkness, which returns early in the afternoon. For some people the arrival of this kind of weather often means that their mood worsens, they feel inner discontent, chronic fatigue or less pleasure in things they used to enjoy. This is nothing unusual in fact, and may well be a depressive mood brought on by the drop in temperature and amount of sunlight associated with late autumn. The results of many studies indicate that in more northerly countries there may be up to 25 percent higher incidence of seasonal depression, while in our part of the world it affects nearly 5 percent of the population.

Although the symptoms of depression may differ from person to person, some of them appear in common: irritability, indecision, reduced concentration, oversensitivity, dejection, lack of interest, indifference, sadness, fear, anxiety, sleeplessness or on the contrary the tendency to sleep longer, a taste for unhealthy, oversweet foods, reduced libido/sexual appetite, and even suicidal thoughts. What is more, at this particular time we may suffer the consequences of fear or worry associated with coronavirus, social isolation including working from home (home office), and the current state of emergency. In some people this autumn depression may manifest itself in physical aches and pains, or bodily ailments with no clear or evident cause. Some research even suggests that the risk of this kind of depression is twice as high for women as it is for men.

USSK employees and their family members have the opportunity to consult the specialist service called Pomoc pre zamestnancov a rodinných príslušníkov (Assistance for employees and their family members), which is anonymous and free of charge on the works phone number 673 32111 or the e-mail address pomoczamestnancom@sk.uss.com.