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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD)is a type of depression that follows the seasons. The most common type of SAD is called winter depression. It usually begins in late fall or early winter and normal mood returns in summer. A less common type of SAD, known as summer depression, usually begins in the late spring or early summer. SAD may be related to changes in the amount of daylight. 		 
   
As many as 4 to 6 of every 100 people may have winter depression. Another 10% to 20% may have mild SAD. SAD is 4 times more common in women than in men. Several people with SAD report having a close relative with a psychiatric disorder. Although some children and teenagers get SAD, it usually doesn't start in people younger than 20. The risk of SAD decreases as you get older. SAD is more common the farther north you go. For example, it's 7 times more common in Washington State than in Florida.

Symptoms

Not everyone with SAD has the same symptoms, but common symptoms of winter depression include the following:
  • Feelings of hopelessness and sadness
  • Thoughts of suicide
  • Hypersomnia
  • A change in appetite, especially a craving for sweet or starchy foods
  • Weight gain
  • A heavy feeling in the arms or legs
  • A drop in energy level
  • Decreased physical activity
  • Fatigue
  • A tendency to oversleep
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Irritability
  • Increased sensitivity to social rejection
  • Avoidance of social situations
Symptoms of the summer depression version of SAD are:
  • Poor appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Insomnia
  • Agitation and anxiety
Either type of SAD may also include some of the symptoms that are present in other kinds of depression, such as feelings of guilt, a loss of interest or pleasure in activities previously enjoyed, ongoing feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, or physical problems such as headaches and stomachaches.

Symptoms of SAD tend to reoccur at about the same time every year. The changes in mood are not necessarily related to obvious seasonal stressors (like being regularly unemployed during the winter). Usually depression is mild or moderate. However, some people experience severe symptoms and 6 percent of SAD patients need hospitalization at some time in their lives.

Seasonal Affective Disorder can be misdiagnosed as hypothyroidyism, hypoglycemia or as a viral infection such as mononucleosis.

 

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