Symptoms Of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Information about age of onset and duration of SAD, subtypes of SAD, psychiatric comorbidity and medication use were also obtained. The patients were assessed with an extensive questionnaire battery using observer-rated assessments and self report questionnaires at baseline, post-treatment and at 3 and 12-month follow-ups.

However, these winter blues can change their daily lives for the worse. The medical field calls this Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD for short. According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, SAD usually begins and ends the same time every year. Most commonly, it is during the late Fall and Winter months, but can also be seen in Spring and Summer. While almost anyone could be affected by this, it is most common in women, those who lose significant sunlight during winter, and those aged 15-55 (¨Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)- Topic¨). Seasonal Depression has a magnitude of symptoms and they can change due to which season is causing the problem. Overall, there has been reported problems of insomnia, low energy, irritability, and appetite changes (¨Seasonal Affective Disorder

When the dark days of winter approach, people are slowed down and have difficulty waking up in the morning They are tempted to snack on holiday foods and find that the pounds will creep up on them, even as they valiantly try to diet. People can often find it difficult to focus at work or in a relationships, feel down in the dumps, or maybe even depressed. If a person says yes to any one of these criteria, than they may be experiencing a disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D), or also known as the winter blues. A current study shows that the population that lives in the Northern America and European. In its very basic form, S.A.D effects 6% of all Americans suffer from this distress, Seasonality can also lead to distress, both in an individual's work and one's personal life. Over ten million Americans have suffered, or are suffering from S.A.D, and while the percentage may not seem like a large number, but it translates into over a million Americans. Though Some people may not be affected by S.A.D enough to seek medical attention, they still feel less cheerful, less energetic creative and productive during the dark winter days. The effects of the seasons on humans have been well known through the centuries to artists, poets, and songwriter. For example, Shakespeare observed that a, "sad tale's best for winter", while Keats wrote nightingale singing of summer "in full throated ease", and the singer of a modern day ballad calls his beloved the

Alaskans experiences on average about five hours of sunlight during the winter months, sometimes living in Alaska during the winter can take its toll on a person. The year 1984 was when Seasonal Affective Disorder first became known in a research paper at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Seasonal Affective Disorder mainly affects people in the winter season, but can also affect people during the summer seasons. Seasonal Affective Disorder is best understood as a form of depression that affects people in the winter and, less commonly, in the summer. This paper will help provide a better understanding of S.A.D. and how it affects people living in Arctic climates.

Due to the reduced daylight time frame within the fall and winter months along with the reduced sunshine light throughout the day, the light has potential to affect the optimal mood in a person’s behavior pattern (Partonen & Lonnqvist, 2002). Although researchers have concluded to various theories explaining the relationship between SAD and light, yet the majority have agreed that there is a significant relationship between sunshine light and the circadian cycle. Considering the rhythmic biological cycle as a main factor in SAD, one study states the amount of the hormone melatonin produced in one’s brain is probably the best index of circadian timing (Arendt, 2012). In addition, there has been additional evidence of phase delay in the timing of circadian rhythms in SAD patients as well (Partonen & Lonnqvist, 2002). According to Moscovici (2006), it is assumed “that the decrease in daylight exposure affects circadian rhythms via the retinal-hypothalamic pathways and the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the endogenous body clock, and the melatonin secretion through the pineal gland, subsequently affecting serotonin metabolism in such a way that it causes the kind of mood alterations seen in SAD.” Therefore, researchers in the clinical community began implementing light therapy to treat their SAD

Having dealt with this myself, I know that it can majorly deteriorate the mental health of the sufferer. It starts out as feeling slightly fatigued and wanting to sleep more, and increases at a rapid rate to sometimes severe side effects, like suicidal thoughts or actions. Other symptoms and signs to look for are a weight gain, loss of interest, tiredness, difficulty concentrating and staying on task, and thoughts of hopelessness and worry (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017). While not all of these symptoms are applicable to all sufferers, many people face these obstacles through the entirety of winter. In the cases of SAD in the summer, symptoms are generally the opposite. Things to pay attention to in the summer are troubles sleeping, weight loss, anxiety and restlessness (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017). Though these two types of Seasonal Affective Disorder are fairly contradictory symptome wise, they both affect many people ver

Most wonder why they become so sad in some seasons. That is simple to understand there is a disorder called "Seasonal Affective Disorder". When the seasons change so does your mood. Winter comes and most sit, so some get a little depressed. Scientists say it is because usually they are stuck in their homes ad think. Most sit in their homes watching everything change, and watch things go by so slow. According to the article Seasonal Affective Disorder,

The condition SAD is a type of winter depression and may be linked to the reduced

The Mayo Foundation (2013), implies fall and winter SAD symptoms can include depression, hopelessness, anxiety, loss of energy, heavy “leaden” feeling in arms or legs, social withdrawal, oversleeping loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed, weight gain and difficulty concentrating. Other symptoms include increased sleep and the need for sleep. They conclude symptoms for spring summer SAD to include the following: Anxiety, insomnia, irritability, agitation, weight loss, poor appetite, and decreased sex drive. The symptoms of either disorder have almost the opposite effects on individuals, having anxiety is the only common symptom between the two SAD

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression. It is when you feel sad, down, or blue at specific times of the year. The most common time of year for this is late fall and winter. This is when the days are shorter and most people spend less time outdoors. This is why SAD is also known as the “winter blues.” SAD less commonly occurs in the spring or summer.

In these cases, patients having the same cyclic mood patterns as BD would support the statement that SAD is a Bipolar variation because the mood pattern persists, despite mania being less common in the winter. However, in a 1991 study, Wehr made a discovery that counteracted the categorization of SAD as a BD variant: the distinct symptom patterns of Winter-SAD and Summer-SAD. Patients with Winter-SAD are characterized by overeating and weight gain, social withdrawal, and oversleeping. Summer-SAD patients display opposite symptoms: decreased appetite, increased sex drive, and trouble sleeping. Although Summer-SAD symptoms resemble those of mania, Wehr clarifies that these symptoms are “opposite types of depression”(Goldman). In these cases, mania is not necessarily present in either condition, and the cyclic mood pattern is

Continuing my research, I tried to find if news reporters and anchors suffer with SAD, and found nothing. I then found an article on lumen and lux. Lumen is the amount of light given off from the light source and lux is the amount that reaches the person. The lights that are used in light boxes, for medical phototherapy are 10,000 lux [the same as daylight]. And SAD clients sit relatively close to the light box. In TV studios, even though the lights are the same lumen, they are on the average only 1000 lux. My theory is not

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) takes place during the winter weather, this is due to the lessening of the sunlight during those months. The symptoms include lack of energy, eating more than you would usually, sleeping more and gaining weight. People are diagnosed after they have had these symptoms present during the winter for more than 2 years. This type of disorder can be treated with artificial light treatment. During light therapy, you sit or work near a device called a light therapy box. The box gives off bright light that mimics natural outdoor light.

When looking at seasonal affective disorder, the environment where someone lives greatly affects their depressive symptoms. As stated earlier, distance from the equator has proven to add to the significance of people with depression in the winter months. A study was conducted to see the difference in the rate of depression searches using the internet based on global location. The study compared the United States with Australia, given that the U.S. lies in the northern hemisphere, and Australia in the southern hemisphere. The two countries have greatly different climates, with Australia remaining warm and sunny through most of the year. The results took into account the

Before gathering the data, the researchers had a couple hypotheses in mind. They first hypothesized that women with a history of SAD would encounter and report more negative thinking as well as reduced activity frequency and enjoyment during the winter time. Not only that, but they expected that a predicted ruminative response style in the fall would help foretell the severity of depressive symptoms later during the winter time. The researchers then went on to assume that women with a history of SAD would ultimately report more depressed mood and experience greater psychophysiological reactivity as a response to low light intensity stimuli during the winter time relative to controls.