Winter-over syndrome

The winter-over syndrome is a condition that occurs in individuals who "winter-over" throughout the Antarctic (or Arctic) winter, which can last seven to eight months. It has been observed in inhabitants of research stations in Antarctica, as well as in polar bases such as Thule, Alert and Eureka. It consists of a variety of behavioral and medical disturbances, including irritability, depression, insomnia, absentmindedness, aggressive behavior, and irritable bowel syndrome.

The Antarctic winter is a period of no physical contact with other continents or Antarctic stations, including no airplanes, ships, or mail. For these reasons, the immobility, monotony, harsh physical environment, sexual deprivation, and the general isolation, are believed to contribute to increased anxiety and depression among the residents of the station.

Several studies have been done over the years to determine the contributing causes, or stresses, of "winter-over" syndrome. These include stress, social isolation, subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder and polar T₃ syndrome. It would appear that the cold, danger, and hardships are not major stresses. The most important psychological stresses appear to be: the problem of individual adjustment to the group, the relative monotony of the environment, and the absence of certain accustomed sources of emotional satisfaction. In addition to isolation from the outside world, there is confinement or lack of isolation within the research stations themselves. During fieldwork conducted at McMurdo and South Pole stations in 1988 and 1989, informants complained that the lack of privacy and constant gossip that existed within the community, had a negative influence on social relationships, especially between men and women. As a result, 60% of one's leisure time is spent alone in a dorm room, whereas others are forced to work and live in confined spaces, due to the nature of their work.

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