According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, up to twenty percent of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD, with about six percent of cases being severe. I’ll caution that the exact numbers are currently unknown, and that the numbers of cases for winter depression vary depending on how rigorous the study was and where the study was taken. Canadians, for example, are much more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than are Americans. What we know for certain is that SAD is a very real and common condition, and that it makes the winter season a miserable one for millions of people.
Not everyone experiences SAD in the same way. Some symptoms are more pronounced in certain sufferers than they are in others. Personal genetics and environmental factors play a role in shaping how people experience seasonal affective disorder. With that out of the way, the following list of symptoms will give you an idea of some of the things SAD sufferers might experience:
Considering how recent many of the studies on seasonal affective disorder are, no simple method has yet been developed to diagnose the condition. The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), is considered useful for screening patients, but studies suggest it isn’t specific enough to be a diagnostic tool. The Seasonal Health Questionnaire, a more recent invention, is considered to be more accurate than SPAQ. Researchers are still working on figuring out how to easily and efficiently screen and diagnose the disorder.
For a proper diagnosis, you’ll want to contact a mental health professional and undergo a clinical interview. However, before you do that, you might want to take the following online tests.
First, gauge the health of your mental state with the AutoSIGH test. It’s a useful survey that can help you track the level of your depression. Next, take the Personal Inventory for Depression and SAD. This test will help you figure out if you might be suffering from seasonal affective disorder. It’s not a self-diagnosis tool, but a way of assessing the timing and severity of certain symptoms of depression. You can print out the results to share with your doctor.
A lack of sunlight during the winter months seems to be responsible for the disorder, though we still don’t understand why this lack of sunlight causes people to feel down. Some scientists have suggested that a lack of serotonin, an important chemical messenger in the brain that helps regulate our emotions, may be the culprit. Studies show that our bodies produce less serotonin during winter months. Other scientists suggest that an increase in daytime melatonin, a chemical that helps regulate sleep, is to blame. SAD sufferers have been shown to have more melatonin in their system then healthy people. Our pineal gland produces melatonin when it’s dark, as light inhibit its creation. This increase in melatonin messes with our circadian rhythms.
The truth is probably a combination of both theories with a little genetics thrown into the mix. We know, for example, that the 5-HTTLPR gene, a gene that’s involved in the creation of serotonin, has been found to express itself differently in SAD sufferers. The 5-HT2A gene, also involved in the creation of serotonin, seems to be linked to SAD as well.
Scientists are busy learning more about seasonal affective disorder. Our understanding of the condition is unfinished, but at least it’s contours have been drawn out.
1. The most popular treatment for seasonal affective disorder is light therapy. Exposing yourself to a powerful light box at specific times during the day for periods of up to thirty minutes has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of SAD disorder in most sufferers. To help schedule the best time for your light therapy sessions, you might want to take the AutoMEQ test, which help determine your circadian rhythm type.
2. Dawn simulation is another form of therapy. It involves gtiming lihts in your bedroom so that they come on gradually over a period of time. Many SAD sufferers benefit from this artificial sunrise.
3. A less common treatment involves changing your diet so that it includes foods rich in vitamin D, like smoked mackerel or sardines. Vitamin D is produced when our body is exposed to the sun. Less sunlight, less vitamin D. At least one study has suggested that Vitamin D is better at treating SAD then light therapy, though more research is needed to confirm this.
4. A study from 2006 suggests that taking melatonin can improve the mood of people afflicted with SAD disorder. A person’s circadian rhythm type determines when they should take the melatonin. Melatonin, as we’ve seen, regulates when we sleep, so these supplements help kick our body back into order.
5. Some studies suggest that negative air ionization can help fight seasonal affective disorder. Negative ions are molecules of air that occur naturally in our environment. Negative ions are more common during summer months than they are during winter months, and some evidence suggests a link between negative ions and the production of serotonin.
6. Finally, SSRIs are often prescribed by doctors for helping patients deal with SAD. Drugs like Prozac and Zoloft have all been shown to help.
It wasn’t that long ago that people laughed about seasonal affective disorder. Some people still do, but nowadays it’s taken much more seriously. New research is constantly being conducted on the subject, and new treatments are constantly being thought up.
Currently, the biggest challenge most SAD sufferers face is ignorance about their own condition. Many people simply don’t realize that they’re afflicted with it, and this prevents them from seeking out readily available treatments. Changing this situation requires us, as a society, to take a more open approach to mental health.