Six Quick Facts About Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

I can’t believe it’s already mid-December and I’m just now touching on the topic of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Well, given the “winter” I’ve had, I guess it’s not so unbelievable. When it’s sunny and 70 degrees on the day before Thanksgiving, seasonal affective disorder just doesn’t come to mind.

However, it hasn’t been sunny and 70 degrees everywhere, and even here it’s starting to sprinkle a few snowflakes here and there. So, let’s dig into SAD.

1. SAD is marked by bouts of depression that seem to correlate with the seasons. People with SAD usually experience depressed moods during fall and winter, and happier moods during spring and summer.
2. Most people with SAD are female who’ve developed the disorder in their twenties. Most, but not all – males, children, and adolescents can develop SAD, too.
3. As seems to be the case with many mental health disorders, people with SAD normally have at least one other relative who has a mental illness of some type. Mood disorders and alcohol abuse top the list.
4. SAD symptoms can include all the usual suspects of depression: fatigue, weight gain, oversleeping, decrease in interests including sexual, social withdrawal, suicidal thoughts, etc.
5. While hospitalization and electroconvulsive therapy have been used, “light therapy” is often the first place people turn.
6. Given the above statement, it’s no surprise that people with SAD can experience symptoms at any point during the year when the weather is overcast – even when interior lighting is dark.

If anyone reading this has seasonal affective disorder, or knows someone who does, feel free to chime in! Perhaps you’d even want to do a guest spot here at Mental Health Notes discussing your experience.