Are you always down and out in winter? You might be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder or more commonly known as SAD. Thanks to vigorous research put into the reasons and forms of depression, these "winter blues" have been internationally recognized as a form of depression.
If you are still confused if you've got SAD or not, don't worry I've listed some of the most common symptoms which are found in SAD.
Mood swings
This is the first and the most common symptom of any form of depression. One may experience feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness for all the time and the condition may persist for 3 weeks or longer. One becomes extremely sensitive to any praise or criticism and may burst into tears for no apparent reason.
Tiredness or fatigue
A person suffering from SAD may always feel low on energy. One may feel tired after spending leisure time or even after having a full night's sleep.
Increase in Sleep
SAD is marked with an increased need to sleep. However in SAD, taking more sleep than usual is good, as it will combat the other symptoms of SAD.
Lack of social activity
When suffering from this depression, people tend to withdraw from social events and activities. They feel low and melancholic and want to remain aloof and alone.
Changes in eating habits
People with SAD display variant eating habits. Sometimes they start eating too much and sometime they just start cutting off their meals. Some sufferers complain of a continuous craving for carbohydrates and thus put on a lot of weight in just some months.
Low concentration levels
All the fatigue, melancholy and changes in eating/sleeping habits lead to lower concentration levels in SAD patients. This can lead to further depression because lack of concentration may affect ones performance in school or at work.
All of these can be rather fatal for a person if one doesn't know that why these changes are taking place. That's why it is very important to recognize and identify the type of depression one is going through.