Seasonal Affective Disorder or the “Winter Blues”
As the days grow shorter, darker, and colder in the Northern Hemisphere, many individuals eagerly anticipate the winter season. However, for some, this time of the year brings about more than just a temporary shift in mood—it can trigger a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). While colloquially referred to as the "winter blues," SAD is a legitimate form of depression characterized by changes in mood, sleep patterns, and appetite.
Common Symptoms and Severity
SAD shares many symptoms of depression in that those who experience it can feel depressed most of the day every day, lose interest in things they usually enjoy, feel tired or low energy, feel hopeless and/or worthless, have difficulty concentrating, oversleep, overeat (particularly carbohydrates & sweets), gain weight, withdraw socially. At the most extreme, individuals with SAD can even have thoughts of death and/or suicide.
Suggested treatment options seasonal Affective Disorder
We usually recommend checking Vitamin D levels as we need some sunlight to synthesize this in our bodies. If we aren’t getting enough sunlight, Vitamin D can drop so taking this in the winter can be a good idea if your levels are too low.
A full-spectrum lightbox for light therapy Approximately 30-60 mins per day is usually recommended; avoid staring directly into the light; some studies recommend that you do this prior to 8am for best results.
Counseling - this can be helpful in processing depressed feelings and learning coping strategies to deal with them.
Medication – this can be helpful if the above mentioned interventions haven’t been sufficient to provide enough relief. Often, a combination of medication and counseling and the other interventions can have a robust effect.
About 5% of adults in the U.S. experience SAD, and it typically lasts about 40% of the year, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) says. Symptoms are most common in the fall and winter months, and include feelings of sadness, fatigue, cravings of carbs and starch and associated weight gain.