Have you ever experienced the “winter blues?” For many people it happens after the end of daylight-saving time and lasts throughout the winter season, when the days get shorter and colder weather starts to set in. They start to feel sad or down or just not themselves. In some cases, these mood changes can even affect how they think, feel, and handle everyday activities. It’s a form of depression, and it’s so common that it has a name – seasonal affective disorder. SAD for short.
If the change in the seasons affects you like that, it’s good to know you’re not alone. It’s also good to know there are ways to better understand and manage those feelings. And the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has put together some great information about it.
What Causes SAD
Scientists don’t precisely know what causes SAD, but they believe it’s related to the brain chemicals serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin helps regulate our moods. Melatonin helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle. For the millions of people with SAD, changes in their serotonin and melatonin levels can disturb their normal daily rhythms, preventing them from adjusting to the seasonal and time changes and disrupting their sleep, mood, and behavior.
Signs & Symptoms of SAD
The signs and symptoms of SAD are similar to those associated with depression, though not everyone experiences them all or to the same degree. Some of the symptoms include:
- Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Experiencing changes in appetite or weight
- Having trouble sleeping or oversleeping
- Feeling sluggish or agitated
- Having low energy
- Feeling hopeless or worthless
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Having thoughts of death or suicide
Diagnosing SAD is something only a licensed health care provider or mental health specialist can do, so if you’re experiencing some or all of these symptoms, be sure to see one as soon as possible.
How SAD Is Treated
There are several treatments that some find effective in managing SAD, including light therapy, psychotherapy, medication, and vitamin D. They can be used alone or in combination.
- Light Therapy - During light therapy, a person sits in front of a very bright, UV-filtered light box for a period of time each day. The bright light helps make up for the diminished natural sunlight they miss in the darker months of the year.
- Psychotherapy - Cognitive behavioral therapy, which can be done individually or in a group setting, has proven effective in helping patients cope with SAD by allowing them to discuss and confront negative thoughts about their condition and replace them with positive ones.
- Medication - Antidepressant medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which can enhance patients' moods, have proven successful for many with SAD symptoms. Bupropion, another type of extended-release antidepressant, is also known to prevent seasonal depressive episodes. Both are available only with a doctor’s prescription.
- Vitamin D - Many people who struggle with SAD have vitamin D deficiency. We get vitamin D from diet and sunlight, but some just don’t get enough. For them, nutritional supplements may help improve their symptoms. Supplements are often used when light therapy is insufficient or ineffective.
Getting Ahead of SAD
While it’s not fair to suggest SAD can be “cured,” it can be managed with some planning and effective therapy.
Thankfully, because it’s seasonal, the onset of SAD is pretty predictable. That means if you’ve experienced SAD before, you might benefit from starting treatment before the time change to help prevent or at least reduce your depression. Plan on talking to your health care providers about your symptoms and see if starting treatment early might help prevent or at least reduce your depressive episodes. Because winter weather can be dreary enough. You don’t want your mood to match.