Rate of oxygen consumption in seasonal and non-seasonal depression

Most depressives suffer from weight loss, anorexia and insomnia, while for winter depressives the typical symptoms are weight gain, carbohydrate craving, overeating, oversleeping and extreme lack of energy. It is important to know whether winter depressives differ from most other depressives on measures of energy regulation. In wintertime, we evaluated the rate of oxygen consumption in relationship to neuro-vegetative depressive symptoms in 92 Siberian women. The seated subjects underwent oxyspirography in the mid-morning (1.5 hours after a standard breakfast). It was found that the oxygen consumption rate was similar in non-depressed women (n = 25) and depressed women with non-seasonal depression (n = 27). The comparatively lower values were obtained in women with winter depression (n = 40). This finding supports the suggestion that the behaviour disturbances typical for winter depression may represent a physiological feedback loop to energy conservation.