What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Seasonal affection disorder (SAD) is defined as a subtype of depression, where an individual experiences chronic major depression that follows a seasonal pattern. SAD most often occurs during the winter months. The exact cause of SAD is unknown but is thought to probably manifest from hormone and neurotransmitter dysfunction affecting the nervous and psychic-emotional systems of the human body (Piotrowski, 2022).

Theories of What Causes SAD

Research points towards the winter form of SAD, involving the hormone melatonin, which is a substance secreted by the brain’s pineal gland. Melatonin affects mood and energy levels as well as helps to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Studies reflect too much, or prolonger secretion of melatonin may promote SAD (Ettinger, 2018).

Melatonin as well as serotonin systems are influenced by the earth’s daily dark-light cycle also known as photoperiodism. SAD can thereby be related to seasonal disturbances in the earth’s dark-light cycle and its relative effect on individuals (Ettinger, 2018).

Key Symptoms of SAD

• Seasonal patterns of experiencing of a depressed mood that may include feelings of sadness, emptiness, or tearfulness
• A lack of interest or pleasure in most activities for most of the day
• Significant loss or gain of bodyweight
• Insomnia (inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleep)
• Psychomotor agitation or psychomotor retardation
• Loss of energy (fatigue)
• Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide ideation (Piotrowski, 2022)

Who Suffers From SAD?

• Research shows that people living in northern climates are more likely to be affected by SAD than people living at other latitudes.
• Most persons who will experience this problem will be in their twenties and thirties.
• Individuals typically experience depression as the amount of daylight decreases with the advancing of the winter season.
• Women are two to four times more likely than men to develop SAD.
• Rates for newly diagnosed with SAD tend to decrease during the fifties and decrease dramatically after age sixty-five (Piotrowski, 2022).
• SAD affects 0.5 to 3 percent of individuals in the general population. It affects 10-20% of people with major depressive disorder and about 25% of those with bipolar disorder (Seasonal Affective Disorder: MedlinePlus Genetics, n.d.)

Treatment Options

Phototherapy or light therapy is the dominant treatment for those affected by this disorder. Exposure to light can be difficult for some people as each may have unique circumstances in relation to their environment, schedules and careers which may help to limit access to light (Piotrowski, 2022).

Phototherapy involves sitting in front of a specific type of therapeutic light source for anywhere from thirty to ninety minutes. This treatment is usually done in the morning each day. Serotoninergic antidepressant medication is sometimes used along with phototherapy (Piotrowski, 2022).

Cognitive behavioral therapy is another type of treatment where thought patterns are modified to manage SAD. There are also light visors having a light source built into the brim that can help those with this disorder (Piotrowski, 2022).

References:

Biard,G. (2008), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10095047

Ettinger, R. H. (2018). Psychology: The Science of Behavior (6th ed.). BVT Publishing.

Francis, G. (2019), http://www.PacificProDigital.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81371623

Piotrowski, N. A. . P. D., & Prerost, F. J. . P. D. (2022). Seasonal affective disorder. Magill’s Medical Guide (Online Edition).

Seasonal affective disorder: MedlinePlus Genetics. (n.d.). https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/seasonal-affective-disorder/

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