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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, spring or autumn, repeatedly, year after year. SAD is not a unique mood disorder, but is "a specifier of major depression". People with SAD tend to experience some of the following symptoms:

• Desire to sleep more
• Overeating
• Withdrawing from social activities
• Feeling anxious
• Being unusually irritable
• Feeling a lack of energy
• Headaches
• Craving of sweets
• Loss of desire for physical activity
• Weight gain

If you think this sound like depression, you are right. SAD is a form of depression, but it is caused by the reduction of daylight during the winter months. In addition, even if you are inside in artificial light most of the day, you can still suffer from a lack of daylight. Mental health professionals diagnose a person as having SAD if they have these symptoms for two consecutive winters, and do not have the symptoms in the spring and summer. SAD tends to be more common among women and young people, so you should be watching for symptoms in your partners and daughters. Doctors think there may be a connection between SAD and lower serotonin levels, which in more cases that are serious can result in clinical depression.

What To Do if You Think SAD is an Issue

First, if you think you or someone in your family is experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder, you may want to consult your family physician or mental health provider. Your health professional will want to ask a number of questions to identify SAD and rule out other causes of the symptoms. Your physician may want you to try using a light box, which tends to have beneficial effects on about 75% of SAD patients. Spending 15-120 minutes per day in front of the light box can make a big difference. Your doctor may prescribe antidepressant drug therapy if serotonin levels are low. Make sure, if you take antidepressants that, you follow your doctor's instructions explicitly to be safe. Psychotherapy may also help. Sometimes talking with a counselor or social worker can help you focus on changing behaviors that contribute to SAD. Daily exercise outdoors is one inexpensive way of self-treating SAD. The fresh air, exposure to daylight and the endorphins you release through exercise can have a major positive effect on SAD sufferers. A 30-60 minute daily regimen has many positive health effects. Paying attention to the behavior of your family members can help you recognize the symptoms and effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder. When you see symptoms like these that cause you concern, get help and work with your loved one to get additional daylight and exercise.