Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year
. If you're like most people with seasonal affective disorder, your symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Less often, seasonal affective disorder causes depression in the spring or early summer.
Don't brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the "winter blues" or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own you may have seasonal affective disorder.
Only One Click! Become Anxiety And Panic Free Without Using Medication And Finally Begin To Live Your Life!The typical symptoms of SAD include depression, lack of energy, increased need for sleep, a craving for sweets and weight gain. Symptoms begin in the fall, peak in the winter and usually resolve in the spring. Some individuals experience great bursts of energy and creativity in the spring or early summer. Susceptible individuals who work in buildings without windows may experience SAD-type symptoms at any time of year. Some people with SAD have mild or occasionally severe periods of mania during the spring or summer. If the symptoms are mild, no treatment may be necessary. If they are problematic, then a mood stabilizer such as Lithium might be considered. There is a smaller group of individuals who suffer from summer depression.
Although there is no specific diagnostic test for the illness, it is understood thatsymptoms of seasonal affective disorder include tiredness, fatigue, depression, crying spells, irritability, trouble concentrating, body aches, loss of sex drive, poor sleep, decreased activity level, and overeating, especially of carbohydrates, with associated weight gain. When the condition presents in the summer, the symptoms are more commonly insomnia, poor appetite, and weight loss, in addition to irritability, difficulty concentrating, and crying spells. In severe instances, seasonal affective disorder can be associated with thoughts of suicide.
There are different treatments for seasonal depression, depending on the severity of the symptoms. Also, if you have another type of depression or bipolardisorder, the treatment may be different. Many doctors recommend that patients with SAD try to get outside early in the morning to increase their exposure to natural light. If this is impossible because of the dark winter months, antidepressantmedications and/or light therapy (phototherapy) may help.
In addition to being key in the prevention of seasonal affective disorder, regular exposure to light that is bright, particularly fluorescent lights, significantly improves depression in people with this disorder when it presents during the fall and winter. Thelight treatment is used daily in the morning and evening for best results. Temporarily changing locations to a climate that is characterized by bright light (such as the Caribbean) can achieve similar results. Light treatment has also been called phototherapy. Individuals who suffer from seasonal affective disorder will also likely benefit from increased social support during vulnerable times of the year.
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Light Therapy -- Short periods of exposure to light can help ease depression. Doses of sunlight are measured in "lux." For example, the sun emits about 90,000 lux and blue sky reflects about 45,000 lux. Treatments could range from two hours of light at 2500 lux every morning to 30 to 40 minutes of light at 10,000 lux every morning. However, light therapy in the evening may interrupt sleep patterns. There are few, if any, side effects to the eyes from using light therapy. Sometimes, an hour walk in the morning can help without any other treatment.
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By: Velma Merrick
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