Seasonal Depression Symptoms
As with other types of depression, those with SAD experience sadness or a lack of enjoyment in everyday activities. They may lose interest in friends and family members, sleep more, or have difficulty getting up. They also have a craving for carbohydrates, which gives the body immediate energy.
The lack of sunlight in autumn and winter can impact brain pathways that regulate mood. Some people experience mild symptoms, while others experience symptoms that are severe enough to affect relationships and at work.
Treatment
The good news is that treatment options are readily available. Light therapy, psychotherapy, and medications can aid those suffering from SAD. They also can make simple adjustments that can ease their symptoms and improve their mood.
SAD can be mild, moderate or even severe. It can affect a person's concentration and energy level as well as appetite. Some people with SAD may experience irritability or angry more easily. They may also have difficulty concentrating or making decisions. Certain people with SAD have trouble sleeping well and this can cause a lack of energy throughout the day. The changing seasons can trigger symptoms of SAD. The shorter hours of daylight during winter and fall seasons can alter a person's biological rhythms. Serotonin levels can drop and increase the hormone melatonin. This could cause sleepiness or depression.
People suffering from SAD experience feeling down or sad at a certain time of the year. They usually have these symptoms during winter or autumn and are more comfortable in spring. In summer, they can also have episodes where they feel elated or high. People suffering from SAD might experience more depression episodes than other people. Going On this page may be confused with other mood disorders. It is important to obtain an evaluation from a health doctor.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be an effective treatment for SAD. CBT is a form of psychotherapy that teaches individuals how to challenge and alter thoughts that are not helpful. CBT for SAD focuses on changing negative thoughts associated with the season with more helpful ones. It also helps people find enjoyable activities to combat the loss of interest they experience during the summer or winter months.
It's not known how effective herbal supplements or remedies are for SAD. Many herbs and dietary supplements aren't regulated the same way that medicines are. They can interact with certain prescription medications and cause serious issues. Talk to your healthcare professional before taking any dietary or herbal supplements.
Medication
The symptoms of seasonal depressive disorder are more serious than a few "winter blues." If you suffer from these changes in mood each year at the same time your GP can help diagnose and manage your symptoms. Treatment options include light therapy, psychotherapy and medication.
The winter-pattern SAD is defined by depressive episodes that occur each year during the winter and fall seasons. These episodes can be associated with a lack of energy, increased appetite and an increased desire for starchy food along with sleep disruption and weight gain. These symptoms can trigger feelings of hopelessness, despair and even suicidal thoughts in the most severe cases.
In addition to antidepressants some people with SAD benefit from taking a dopamine inhibitor like bupropion. This medication can help balance your serotonin and dopamine levels which reduce the feeling of being depressed and anxious. This is a relatively recent kind of antidepressant that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat SAD.
Your doctor will prescribe the best medication for you, based on your symptoms and severity. They might suggest that you start antidepressants in the fall, before your seasonal symptoms typically start each year, and continue to take them until spring. Based on your specific symptoms they might also suggest that you use a light box or lamp to simulate sunlight and encourage the release of serotonin.
It's crucial to understand that, while many people suffering from SAD suffer from a deficiency of vitamin D, there's no evidence to support this as a cause for the disease. You can improve your health by consuming an appropriate diet and spending time in the sunshine.
SAD can be very challenging, and the symptoms can seem to persist for a long time. It is essential to understand that there are many solutions for this condition. With the help of your GP you can overcome symptoms and return to a normal lifestyle. For more information on seasonal affective disorder and other mental health conditions, visit the Health Matters blog(link opens in a new window) at NewYork-Presbyterian.
Cognitive behavior therapy
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a kind of depression that is seen in the winter and fall and improves during spring and summer. It is caused by changes in the amount of sunlight exposure and biological rhythms that affect sleep, eating, mood and behavior. Antidepressants, light therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy can improve symptoms of seasonal depression.
Researchers aren't sure what causes SAD. They believe that less sunlight triggers a chemical change in the brain that can lead to depression. People suffering from SAD are more likely to suffer from other mental health conditions which include bipolar disorder and major depression. They could also be at risk because of family history, for example, someone in the family with depression or schizophrenia.
Serotonin, a chemical in the brain that regulates mood, is usually less in people who have SAD winter-pattern. Low levels of serotonin can affect sleep, the ability to think clearly and lead to sadness. Melatonin levels may be lower in people with SAD summer-pattern. This can affect sleep patterns and trigger depression-like feelings.
SAD symptoms include low energy, sadness problems with concentration, sadness, and a loss of enthusiasm for the activities you usually like. In some cases you may withdraw from friends and family during the wintery, cold months or lose weight as a way to manage your emotional turmoil. You might also begin to feel suicidal. This is a serious medical condition that requires immediate attention.
Talk therapy can help people suffering from SAD overcome their depression by changing negative thought patterns and behavior. During psychotherapy sessions, your therapist will ask you questions and encourage you to pay attention to your reactions to difficult situations. Then, you will discuss strategies to handle these situations differently.
Psychotherapy is most effective when it's customized to a specific issue like SAD. One of the most promising treatments for SAD is called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. It was created by Aaron Beck, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960s, CBT was an adaptation of Albert Ellis' rational emotive behavior therapy. It is focused on changing negative patterns of "emotional reasoning" which can cause depression.
Light therapy
With the change of seasons people can feel tired exhausted, fatigued and down. These symptoms could be more serious than "winter's blues" and lead to depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). If you're suffering from this disorder, simple lifestyle changes can help relieve symptoms and restore your normal mood.
Bright light therapy, or phototherapy, has been proven to reduce symptoms of SAD, as well as other conditions that can affect your mood. The early morning use of a full-spectrum light or light box can help alleviate symptoms. Light therapy works by increasing the production of serotonin natural chemical that increases your mood and boosts your alertness. It also helps prevent the decline in your circadian rhythm, which is the internal clock of your body that regulates sleep cycles, as well as other vital functions.
The best results are achieved with a device that emits 10,000 Lux of bright white light. This is about the same brightness you would see outside on a sunny day in July. Your healthcare professional will recommend that you stand or sit in front of the device each day for 30 minutes or more, starting in the early morning hours, all week.
There may be some headaches or eye strain while using the light, but these effects will usually disappear if you adjust the intensity of the light and distance between you and the light source. Use a light box with a filter that blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation. These rays can cause damage to your skin and eyes. You can buy a lightbox from your healthcare provider or find one on the Internet, but make sure that it's approved by a medical professional for treatment of SAD.
Inform your healthcare provider if bipolar disorder, or any other mental disorder, you have. Bright light therapy, also known as antidepressants can cause manic episodes in some individuals. The risk can be reduced through these treatments under the guidance of a psychiatrist.