Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder is a disorder characterized by mood changes depending on the season. It is generally prevalent during the winter season. People affected with this disorder are fine throughout the year, but have bad mood swings in the winter season.

Although it is got to do more with a mood dysfunction, it is classified as a sign of depression. SAD is thought to arise because of a lack of brightness in the atmosphere during the winter season.

Seasonal affective syndrome affects people in geographies in the northern hemisphere. Here this disorder, also known as ‘winter blues’ triggers during seasons when the days are short and cold.

Symptoms of seasonal change disorder

- Seasonal affective disorder can make the person affected sleep longer than usual. They get up with little or absolutely no energy and spend the day reluctantly carrying out their duties.

- Due to this lackadaisical attitude, there is also an associated craving for fatty food. All this culminates into depression and anxiety.

- The saving grace is that if the person can withstand it, then these things just pass off as the season changes.

- A person with seasonal affective disorder is prone to develop varying levels of depression during certain seasons, especially the winter. The general symptoms are mental fatigue, physical fatigue, unprovoked crying, concentration problems, loss of interest in sex and so on.

Causes of Seasonal Affective Disorder

- There have been some contentions of classifying seasonal affective disorder as a medical condition. Researchers and doctors feel that most seasonal affective disorder cases happen during the winter season, when sunlight levels in the atmosphere are low. The low levels of sunlight have an adverse effect on the chemicals in the brain that produces a feeling of ennui and depression.

- Researched have suggested that seasonal affective disorder may be due to a variance in the quantity of Melatonin in the body. Melatonin is a hormone secreted in the brain by the pineal gland.

Although there have been different debates as to the exact cause of seasonal affective syndrome, the cause is still at large….or in other words undiscovered.

Treatment

- Patients with seasonal affective disorder are given light therapy, where they are exposed to bright light.

- Exercise and a good diet are recommended to shoo away the winter blues.

- In severe cases, antidepressants are pressed into action.