THE CHRISTMAS SYNDROME

December finally arrived. In the environment you breathe a different air. There is brightness and glow in the streets. In the houses they show the adornments and ribbons green and red that awaken in the families the Christmas spirit. The crib, the tree loaded with little dolls and colored bombs, boots for gifts in the fireplace, and good-looking images of Santa Claus in the display cases all help to complete the message that it's time to prepare for Christmas.

Everything looks perfect. But the truth is that for a large percentage of people, joy never comes with December. On the contrary, all those Christmas symbols provoke in these people a deep sadness and nostalgia. The symptoms are very clear. People are apathetic, sad and with great susceptibility. They think that Christmas is a children's thing and they want those days to pass in the blink of an eye. Indeed, they prefer to be alone, locked up in their house as if it were any other day of any other month.

In the countries of the northern hemisphere this situation is known as "christmas blues" but in Colombia it has been called Christmas syndrome. It may be mild and in this category would classify all those people who are very bitter to live the season but once it ends they are the same as before. But Christmas blues can also lead to severe cases of depression. According to doctor Jorge Téllez, director of the Colombian Society against Depression and Panic, this syndrome explains why every December increases suicide rates and therapists' consultations.

Although it is a very obvious situation, affecting 20 percent of the population, its causes still baffle the specialists. For the psychologist Martha de Gómez this syndrome has to do with the vacuum generated by the completion of a cycle. He explains that it is very similar to the temporary depression that gives the young people on Fridays when they do not have a rumba program for the weekend. "It works at an unconscious level," says the expert. In these cases it would be healthier to be aware and accept the depression for the year that will end. "

Although Christmas is par excellence a family holiday, precisely in that nucleus lies another factor that can cause the syndrome. To go no further, just look at the drama that occurs in couples when they have to share the night of December 24 between the family of one and the other. Others are forced to meet the cousins and uncles with whom they almost never have contact just to comply with a formality, although in reality they would prefer to be with their friends of the soul. Among the members of the families, according to Gomez, there are always frictions and conflicts that appear in these days to the heat of the drinks and when the controls of the mind are loosened. "Many times meeting with relatives is not so pleasant. The rivalries are exposed, feelings are expressed that can hurt another, in short, can be a total mess. "

When a loved one dies or there is a loss of family bond due to a divorce or the departure of a loved one it is likely that the most susceptible people will be trapped by the nostalgia of past holidays.

Although many more enjoy that those who detest Christmas experts say that Colombia's social conditions make it a country at greater risk of having this Christmas syndrome. The displaced, kidnapped, unemployment, bankruptcies that have affected many families and economic recession are factors that will contribute to the discomfort of many people in these festivities.

However, not everything is lost. The important thing, according to the experts, is to be aware of the feelings that come out at this time and instead of hiding them try to interpret them to better understand the situation. Only then Christmas will not be that annoying and distressing date but the occasion to enjoy a kind moment with the closest beings. And remember .......... Celebrate Christmas with love and hope. A cycle closes a new cycle begins. 

Merry Christmas!