Seasonal Affective Disorder: Causes, Signs and Treatment

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Introduction:

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as “Winter Blues” or “The Hibernation Reaction” is a mood disorder.  People who have normal mental health experience depression during the winter months, but are fine during the summer months.  Some people experience mood changes when the seasons change. These people will sleep to much, lack energy, they will also feel depressed and in some cases can be severe. Here are some of the causes, signs and treatment for SAD.

Causes:

What causes Seasonal Affective Disorder is not know, but may be linked to when the days get shorter during the fall and winter months. SAD had not been long recognised as a medical condition.  This type of depression affects women more than men and increases in people who live further away from the equator.

Symptoms:

The symptoms occur during the months of October through to April, and the signs include:

·         Lethargy (low energy)

·         Sleeping to much

·         Withdrawal from friends and family

·         Not being able to focus or concentrate

·         Sadness and despair

·         Increased cravings for sweets and starchy foods

·         Weight gain

·         Headaches

·         Irritability

·         Crying spells

Diagnosis:

SAD is hard to diagnose because it is almost the same as other forms of depression. Your doctor will ask you about the symptoms you are having, how long you’ve had them and if they occur during the same season each year.

Treatment:

There are a few ways to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder like Light Therapy, Medication and Psychotherapy.

Light Therapy - Short periods of exposure of light can help with SAD. Treatment could range from 2 hours to 30-40 minutes in the morning. Light therapy in the evening may interrupt your sleeping patterns. Sometimes, an hour walk in the morning could help.

Medication - The doctor may prescribe an antidepressant with the light therapy if the therapy isn’t effective.

Psychotherapy - This may help you to identify what behaviours or environments that could trigger SAD . Even reducing the stress in your life could decrease the symptoms of SAD.

Other things that you could do to cope with the winter blues are to increase the light in your home or office by opening the shades. Another thing you could try is to be more physical and exercise, which can also relieve stress. Furthermore, you could go on vacation to somewhere warm and sunny during the winter months.