The Seasonal Affective Disorder

Also known as the winter blues or depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a kind of mood disorder wherein a person with normal health condition can experience depressive symptoms during winter seasons. In some occasions, the person can also feel depression in the summer but not as frequently during winter and this happens year after year. However, in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder), SAD is not considered as a disorder but as “a specifier of major depression”.

According to reports, 6-35% of the patients suffering from SAD were hospitalized during the period of illness. In some patients there is also the risk of potential suicide that is why SAD is considered as a serious disorder with symptoms that resembles with that of the clinical depression or dysthymia. The patient will experience some tendencies such as oversleeping and overeating and the difficulty of waking up during morning. Other symptoms may include the difficulty in concentrating with the given tasks as well as the withdrawal from any social activities. In the Reverse SAD (depression during summer and spring), patients may experience anxiety, insomnia, decreased appetite, irritability and weight loss.

There had been various etiologies performed for SAD and one possibility associated with it is the lack of serotonin. Another theory suggests that some causes of SAD may have been related to melatonin, a substance produced by the pineal gland in dim light.

Treatments available for SAD includes the light therapies, ionized-air administration, medication, timed supplementation of melatonin and the cognitive-behavioral therapy. However, The Dawn simulation was found out to be 83% effective as compared to light therapy.