LCSW Yochanan Berkowitz Analyzes Holiday Depression

TEANECK, NJ, December 30, 2010

Analyzing data collected from his own practice and from the National Mental Health Association, Yochanan Berkowitz has discovered that holiday depression is likely more common than most people realize. Common reasons for holiday depression are fatigue, family tensions and financial limitations, reports Yochanan Berkowitz. Another major cause of the holiday blues, he adds, is unrealistically high expectations.

According to Yochanan Berkowitz, all holidays bring a kind of insistence with them. This is particularly true of the winter holidays, which occur amidst short cold days and long nights. With a culture of revelry built into the holidays, people begin to feel pressure to feel wonderful, points out Yochanan Berkowitz. All the holiday signs, songs, messages and parties are geared toward being joyous, charitable and extroverted. Though these are laudable sentiments, Yochanan Berkowitz's research shows that they can backfire when applied in excess. Yochanan Berkowitz gives an example he calls New Year's Eve Syndrome. People tend to invest such high expectations into New Year's Eve that it is almost never as good as it is supposed to be. The best defense against this form of the holiday blues, suggests Yochanan Berkowitz, is to pace oneself and set aside time for private reflection.

"Many people tend to sentimentalize and idealize past holidays," explains Yochanan Berkowitz, "and trap themselves into trying to reproduce a perceived perfection that has been embellished over time."

Unrealistic expectations can be very troublesome. Yochanan Berkowitz cites Dr. Hinda Dubin of the University of Maryland Medical Center, who makes a lucid point about holiday blues. Dr. Dubin's suggests that people must be frank with themselves about how much they can accomplish during the holiday season. Holiday fun is not worth undue physical and psychological strain, concurs Yochanan Berkowitz.

Another important factor influencing holiday depression is environmental rather than personal, reports Yochanan Berkowitz. With wintertime bringing shorter days, the ensuing reduced daylight hours have been linked to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). People tend to eat and sleep more during wintertime, comforting themselves against the short days and dark mornings. Yochanan Berkowitz and researchers at the National Mental Health Association describe SAD as a disorder caused by the dramatic decline of sunlight hours during wintertime. "Sunlight provides the human body and mind with many benefits," reports Yochanan Berkowitz. "The seasonal deprivation of sunlight can interfere with normal brain chemistry."

Yochanan Berkowitz points to additional research that isolates a tiny and important gland close to the center of the human brain called the pineal gland. Citing a recent study published in Woman's Day Magazine, Yochanan Berkowitz explains that the pineal gland produces a hormone called melatonin that has appreciable sedative qualities. According to Yochanan Berkowitz, the gland is modulated by light traveling from the eyes through the brain. The more light the pineal gland receives, the less melatonin it will produce. High or irregular melatonin levels are associated with SAD, concludes Yochanan Berkowitz.

Yochanan Berkowitz states that the segment of the population most susceptible to SAD is women between the ages of 20 and 40. People with SAD tend to experience a change in their food preferences, with a higher reported inclination toward high-carbohydrate foods and other comfort foods. Yochanan Berkowitz hypothesizes that the consequent decline in consumption of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables can exacerbate the symptoms of SAD.

"People with SAD tend to be more significantly affected by cloudy, gray or stormy days," says Yochanan Berkowitz, "even in the summer time."

Researching a study by Dr. Norman Rosenthal, Yochanan Berkowitz found that people with SAD suffer from a variety of physical ailments, such as backaches, headaches, infections and seemingly permanent flu symptoms. The most commonly accepted cause of SAD is light deprivation. Noting that success in treating SAD has been experienced through the use of phototherapy, Yochanan Berkowitz explains that phototherapy is the prescribed application of artificial light meant to simulate the sunlight absent during the winter season. Yochanan Berkowitz adds that SAD is not limited to wintertime, but since light levels are so much lower in winter it makes SAD more prevalent. In his therapy work with SAD clients, Yochanan Berkowitz calls upon several different therapies to treat SAD, depending upon the patient.

For further information, Yochanan Jonathan Berkowitz can be reached at 646-338-5424, by email at berkj1517@yahoo.com or by visiting his website at http://www.familiesheal.com.

Yochanan Berkowitz began his professional studies in Psychology at Queens College in Flushing, New York. In 1994, Yochanan Berkowitz earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and following further studies Yochanan Berkowitz was awarded a Masters of Clinical Social Work. Later Yochanan Berkowitz received the designation of a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

During his studies at Queens College, Yochanan Berkowitz had the opportunity to employ his passion for helping others in the New York City Public Schools as a special Education Instructor in Brooklyn from 1993-1994. Yochanan Berkowitz also served for several years as a school Psychologist and Social Worker with the Brooklyn Board of Education. Several years were also spent doing an internship in social work at Maimonides Psychiatric Outpatient in Brooklyn.

In 1997, Yochanan Berkowitz became a certified school social worker and school Psychologist following studies at the Long Island University. Yochanan Berkowitz received his Masters of Clinical Social Work two years later from New York University. Completing additional studies in his chosen field, Yochanan Berkowitz obtained a Post Masters certification in Early Childhood and Adolescence Psychotherapy in 2000 and Gestalt Therapy certification from the Gestalt Association of Psychotherapy in New York City in 2002.

Yochanan Berkowitz used his experience to serve in Brooklyn as an outpatient social worker, MSW, CSW at the New Hope Guild from 1999-2000. Yochanan Berkowitz added breadth to his vocational opportunities while serving as Administrative Assistant, MSW, and LMSW at Fordham Tremont Center in Bronx, New York during the years of 2003-2004. While there, Yochanan Berkowitz began offering his skills as a Clinical Social Worker, MSW, and CSW at the Jewish Board of Family & Children Services in Brooklyn New York.

The years 2004 and 2005 found Yochanan Berkowitz at the Bikur Cholim Department of Clinical Services in Rockland, New York where he was the Administrative Director, MSW, and LMSW. Currently Yochanan Berkowitz maintains a private practice in Teaneck, New Jersey that primarily serves children, adolescents, couples, and families.

To contact Yochanan Berkowitz by telephone, call 646-338-5424. Yochanan Berkowitz can also be reached via email at berkj1517@yahoo.com. For more information about his private practice visit http://www.familiesheal.com.