Have you ever noticed that as winter comes and the days become shorter and shorter, you sometimes feel a bit down or low? This feeling is a mild from of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or seasonal depression.
Most people do not treat SAD seriously, and dismiss it as winter blues. But for people who really suffer from SAD, it is a very serious matter.
SAD patients are frequently misdiagnosed by both physicians and the general public. But unfortunately SAD is more common than most people suppose. It is a form of winter depression affecting nearly half a million people annually. It usually lasts from September to April, but the most intense symptoms are experienced from December to February, which is very debilitating.
A emotional condition of a person, his/her relationships and overall satisfaction from life are severely affected. This means that such person is unable to function normally without any treatment.
So far, the direct cause of SAD has not been fully understood, but scientists believe that this condition is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain between serotonin and melatonin. This results from reduced exposure to daylight or lack of sunlight.
During the fall/winter months, less amount of light passes through the eyes, which slows down the release of serotonin- “feel-happy” chemical.
When too little amount of serotonin is released, symptoms of depression appear immediately. Melatonin can also be affected by lack of sunlight, because the excessive amounts of it are released. This can also contribute to symptoms of depression and intensify them.
If SAD is not treated, the symptoms get worse and worse during the winter. In the northern hemisphere. Every 1 in 5 people is affected with SAD. According to some specialists, SAD is caused by a disturbance in the body’s natural biological clock, due to reduced exposure to sunlight.
An major way of diagnosing SAD is finding symptoms of depression in a person present for at least two consecutive years. Seasonal affective disorder strikes every year in the same period and disappears as soon as spring arrives.
Here are some typical symptoms of SAD: feeling depressed or sad, lethargy, problems with maintaining concentration, greater weight gain accompanied by sugar or carbohydrate cravings, difficulty getting up in the morning, sleeplessness, social withdrawal, irritability, feelings of misery, guilt and loss of self-esteem, tension, the inability to tolerate stress and in some cases moodiness and short periods of hypomania or over-activity.
WHO GETS SAD?:
Certain people have a bigger chance to develop seasonal affective disorder (SAD). These are:
* Women: 60% - 90% of all people suffering from SAD are women.
* Older teens or young adults. Younger people are more likely to develop SAD. People between 18 and 30 years of ag. Are at greatest risk.
* People who live far away from the equator, especially from the northern hemisphere.
* People working or living indoor most of the time, where there is little to no sunlight. For example people who work late shifts at work, and sleep during the day are more likely to get SAD.
* People with weak immunity system during the winter and those who are more prone to infections and other diseases.
