Seasonal Affective Disorder: Are You Feeling SAD?

Many people start to feel a little melancholy around this time of year, especially right after Christmas. It's colder, and darker, and there are much fewere activities to keep us busy.  This early onset of night isn't so bad when Christmas lights are everywhere you turn.   But when the lights go down, so do many people's moods. It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder, and it makes you SAD.

Seasonal Affective Disorder affects millions of people every year, and for some reason, more women than men. Are you one of them? Or do you know someone who suffers with SAD?  The symptoms can be mild to severe, and understanding why this happens is the key to helping yourself or loved ones get through this seasonal depression.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

From Dr. Deb - Seasonal Affective Disorder...

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a pattern of significant depressive symptoms that occur and then disappear with the changing of the seasons. SAD has also been called "Winter Depression" or "Winter Blues". The reason for these names is that SAD occurs when days get shorter around November and lasting until Spring.

From Becky at Scientific Blogging - Are You SAD?

As leaves change color with the seasons, so does the color of our mood turn from a sunny spring and summer yellow to a wintery blue and gray.

SAD sufferers enter a vegetative-like state, in which they are tired, depressed, anxious, and withdrawn. More women are affected by SAD (about 3:1), and there is an association between SAD prevalence and distance from the equator (farther away from the equator = more cases of SAD). While 18 million Americans have SAD, another 15% (or 45 million) experience a few mild SAD symptoms during the fall and winter seasons. By spring, most experience complete remission.

What are the causes and symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder?

From Helping Psychology - Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder...

The cause of seasonal affective disorder is not completely known. However, genetics, age and the body’s chemical makeup may all play a role in the condition. Other factors include the amount of sunlight that occurs in the winter months, as less sunlight can disrupt the body’s internal clock, leading to feelings of depression, as well as other symptoms. A drop in the levels of serotonin, the brain chemical responsible for a person’s mood, may also cause SAD.

Risk factors for seasonal affective disorder include living farther away from the equator and a family history of the disorder. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with this disorder, although men can have symptoms that are much more severe. Those who live farther north or south from the Earth’s equator do not get as much sunlight in the winter months, which can contribute to SAD.

Many women are not just suffering with SAD -- they are blogging about it too.

From Mommy-Muse Blog - Seasonal Affective Disorder (part 1) and (part 2)...

We are rapidly approaching Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, and it is entirely possible that you have are seeing corresponding physiological changes. Have you been feeling less energy and reduced interest in work and social activities? Perhaps you’re noticing an increase in daytime sleepiness, depression, moodiness and sluggishness? Like several of my family members, you may be dealing with seasonal affective disorder, otherwise known as SAD.

From The Great Fitness Experiment - Using Light Therapy to Combat Seasonal Affective Disorder...

While I love snow and adore Christmas, the combination of super-cold temps and very short days have a drastic effect on my mood. My problem first started in Seattle where while it doesn't have the Dementor's Kiss-esque cold that Minnesota does, it is far enough north to have precious few daytime hours - hours that are besmirched by constant cloud cover. Come October, I'd feel the anxiety begin to ramp up every day around dusk and an inexplicable irritation with every member of my household. November brought zombie-eyed apathy and a fierce desire to sit in the one warm spot in our house and not move, causing me to neglect basic necessities like laundry and keeping a kid from shoving red craft balls up his nose that could only be removed by a doctor with a special tool (he wanted to be Rudolph, see). By December, unless the kids need something I'm pretty much living full-time in front of said heating vent and craving simple carbs. And by January I'm fully and officially depressed. I have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), a depressive state brought on by the lack of light in the wintertime that afflicts millions of people worldwide.

From Mama's Musings - Twenty Minutes of Sunlight...

I used to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, but now I have powerful strategies to cope with the seemingly interminable darkness.

1) Light simulation. I love my BlueMax Light that shines lovingly on me even in the mornings.

2) Fires in the evening. When it gets dark outside, I have my husband light my fire - in the fireplace!

3) Walks outside when it is still light out. Nothing beats natural light, no matter how dim it may seem.

4) Wellness days. I signed up for an eight-week spinning class from now until Christmas. The best part? My health insurance company will reimburse 80% of the cost.

From Holly Goes Lightly - Tips for Combating Seasonal Affective Disorder...

This is the hardest time of year for me. December isn’t so bad… the Christmas lights that come out after dark help to quell the feeling of emptiness caused by cloudy, grey days. By the time mid-January hits, I am ready to call it quits and move to California. I don’t even care that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the governor there.

I totally suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as (how clever is this?) S.A.D. I also suffer from clinical depression. The depression is definitely exacerbated by the S.A.D. If during the darker months you get the gloomy gloomies, it is possible you aren’t getting enough sunlight.

Also See:

• Are You Depressed?  Do You Know Someone Who Is?
• From I Am Mommy - Fantasy/Reality, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder
• From Elements of Behavior - Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
• From Quick Tips - 8 Tips for Overcoming Seasonal Depression
• From Mir Kamin - Facing the Holidays During Financial Crisis

Do you suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder?  Have you blogged about it?  Do you have any tips you could share with other women?  Let us know in comments. 

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
Also at Catherine-Morgan.com