Health News Florida

The Connection Between Springtime Allergies and Depression

WGCU | By Julie Glenn,

Published April 9, 2018 at 4:32 PM EDT

Allergy Sufferer — Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Allergy season in Southwest Florida is only loosely associated with regular seasons, but suffice to say- right now many people are suffering with watery eyes, sniffly noses, and that tired, slightly out-of-it feeling that comes with feeling cruddy. But, for some the onset of allergies can come with a sidecar of depression. Research has found that people suffering from allergies are 50% more likely to also have symptoms of depression- and if a person has seen an allergist- that statistic jumps to 70%.

Is it a side effect? Or can allergies trigger a depressive response in the brain? We’re joined by Dr. Robert Pollack to explore the issue. He’s a Florida-licensed Board Certified Psychiatrist who has been in practice since 1977, and is currently the CEO of Psychiatric Associates of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers.

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Julie Glenn

Julie Glenn is the host of Gulf Coast Live. She has been working in southwest Florida as a freelance writer since 2007, most recently as a regular columnist for the Naples Daily News. She began her broadcasting career in 1993 as a reporter/anchor/producer for a local CBS affiliate in Quincy, Illinois. After also working for the NBC affiliate, she decided to move to Parma, Italy where she earned her Master’s degree in communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Her undergraduate degree in Mass Communication is from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

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Mike Kiniry

Mike Kiniry is producer of Gulf Coast Live, and co-creator and host of the WGCU podcast Three Song Stories: Biography Through Music. He first joined the WGCU team in the summer of 2003 as an intern while studying Communication at Florida Gulf Coast University.

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Rachel Iacovone

RachelIacovoneis a reporter and associate producer of Gulf Coast LiveforWGCU News. Rachel came toWGCU as an intern in 2016, during the presidential race. She went on to cover Florida Gulf Coast University students at President Donald Trump's inauguration on Capitol Hill and Southwest Floridians in attendance at the following day's Women's March on Washington.

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The Connection Between Springtime Allergies and Depression

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