By being one of the most beautiful months, April fools us with her cruelty. While the blooming spots of pink, yellow, red, and white flourish; while the sky boasts her best colors; while the excitement of spring veils the harsh winter days; we are not exempt. The warmer days and softer winds do not comfort us—we are not exempt from depression.

T.S Eliot begins his poem “The Waste Land” with the famous line: “April is the cruellest month”. Eliot writes “The Waste Land” as a way to express his sense of loss and despair after the First World War. In the poem, spring—the epitome of rebirth—creates a sense of dissonance along with the speaker’s hopelessness, and paradoxically serves to accentuate the speaker’s sadness.

However, Eliot is not singular in his plea to escape the harshness of spring. Contrary to popular belief, more people are affected by depression in spring than in winter. In a 2019 article published by John Hopkins, psychiatrist Adam Kaplin states: “In April, May and June, the suicide rate goes up and is the highest”. Kaplin follows by saying that these “…numbers can be two to three times higher than in December, when suicide rates are the lowest.” Although we typically tie seasonal depression with autumn and winter, spring triggers depression as well.

The phenomenon of spring depression can also be seen in popular media. An example would be the song “A Cruel April” by South Korean indie band— Broccoli, You Too? The 2012 song builds onto Eliot’s description of April being “the cruellest month” with the following lyrics:

April has begun, as if telling a lie

Everyone is going back to their places

But it feels like I'm left here all alone

Not knowing where to go

…

As the flowers bloom when spring comes

The children that are too old to feel their beating hearts,

Have nowhere to go

Even when the spring light is bright

The band addresses important issues through the concept of “A Cruel April”: the issue of isolation and empathy. The song describes how spring creates a sense of isolation, where the whole world seems happy and lively and new and lovely—when you are not. We may feel as though we are exempt from the happiness given to the whole world, as the song mentions: “Everyone is going back to their places, but it feels like I’m left here all alone”. When we are unable to “empathise” and take part in the happiness that surrounds us, we begin to feel alienated and estranged. That is the cruelty of spring.

The issue of empathy is one caused by a lack thereof. It is difficult to express our own hardships when everyone else seems to be perfectly happy. We may fear “contaminating” others’ happiness with our sadness. Furthermore, it becomes easier to compare ourselves with others—who seem to be infinitely happier (especially with the façade of social media). The vibrant atmosphere of spring ironically creates an environment where we are unable to express our sadness.

No one is “safe” from depression. No one can be “safe” from depression. We cannot blame ourselves, or anyone for depression—but this is not to say that we should remain in an unhealthy state. The realization that the depressive state is an irregular, unhealthy state is pivotal in the process of recovery. Depression comes in autumn, winter, summer, and spring. It can come when we are young or old. It can come at any time of our lives, but we do not need to fear it. There is always a way, there is always help. You are never alone.

Spring symbolizes rebirth, hope, life, and vivacity. While many take part in the liveliness of the season, there are many who are exempt from the kindness of the season. Eliot’s poem shares with me the common understanding that as humans, we tend to fear happiness and hope after experiencing despair and loss. We fear that spring will bring a harsher winter and we fear our own happiness because we are too used to being hurt. But hope is a strange thing, and it is a dangerous thing, and it is within us. Let us take care of each other so that even when April is cruel, we can rely on each other.

Photo courtesy of @amyhamiltonphotographer (Instagram) --Ed.