Seasonal Affective Disorder: 7 Signs to Look For
Leaving this untreated can lead to more chronic conditions.
Dreary, gray skies and frigid temps can make anyone feel a bit lethargic, but seasonal affective disorder goes beyond having the winter blues or blahs. Seasonal affective disorder is a depressive episode that is triggered by seasonal changes, typically the colder months of fall and winter. (It is less common, but possible, to have seasonal affective disorder in the transition from spring to summer.) The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder during winter months are the same as a regular episode of depression, including:
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Not enjoying activities you previously did
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Lack of energy
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Withdrawal and isolation
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Overeating
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Gaining weight unintentionally
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Craving carbohydrates
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Feeling disengaged from surroundings
Signs of seasonal affective disorder in the spring/summer may differ slightly and include symptoms like poor appetite, weight loss, insomnia, and restlessness.
For a seasonal affective disorder diagnosis, these symptoms need to be present for weeks or even months, not just a few days. The other requirement is that the depressive episode must occur for at least two years during the specific season.
You may not consider finding treatment for seasonal affective disorder since you know winter is only temporary, but this is a mistake: “The fact of the matter is that it does last,” says psychologist Jennifer Hartstein, PsyD, a psychologist based in New York City. “It can be pervasive and it can lead to more chronic depressive disorders.”
Seasonal affective disorder is typically treated with one of the following methods:
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Antidepressant medications
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Psychotherapy
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Light therapy
Learn more information about types of psychotherapy and types of antidepressants.
Dr. Michaelis is a clinical and media psychologist in New York City.
Jennifer L. HartsteinDr. Hartstein is the owner of Hartstein Psychological Services, a group psychotherapy practice in New York City.
Khadijah WatkinsDr. Watkins is an assistant professor of psychiatry in the division of child and adolescent psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and an assistant attending psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
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Seasonal affective disorder and
depression are really the same thing.
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The only difference is that SAD
tends to occur around the seasons.
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Seasonal affective disorder
is a depressive disorder
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that happens usually during the fall,
early winter.
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It can also occur as spring goes
into summer, but that's less common.
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The winter blues
are something most of us get.
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It's cold, it's not as light outside.
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We all need sun and vitamin D,
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that's something we all need.
SAD affects people's functioning really
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the same way that depression might.
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They tend to not enjoy
things that they once did.
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They don't have enough energy to
initiate behaviors, initiate projects.
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They don't tend to wanna socialize.
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They tend to wanna stay in.
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They tend to overeat,
gain weight, crave carbohydrates,
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and just really sort of
feel disengaged from life.
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And that can go on for days, or
in more severe cases, weeks or
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even months.
Seasonal affective disorder could be
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treated in the same way that you would
treat someone that has a major depressive
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disorder.
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It would depend on the symptoms and the
severity of the symptoms, and the degree
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of impairment and suffering that one has.
Medication,
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you would treat it just sort of similarly
to the way you would treat depression.
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Psychotherapy using cognitive
behavioral techniques,
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psychodynamic techniques of
engagement with the patient.
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And light therapy is the one
that's a bit unique.
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So light therapy really initiated in
the 80s as a way of supplementing and
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replacing the lost light
that a person's not getting.
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If you maybe are concerned or
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suspect that you have seasonal affective
disorder due to the cyclical nature of
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your symptoms changing as the seasons
change, I would recommend seeking
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out a mental health provider and
having a full evaluation and talking about
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the treatment options and recommendations.
I think that there are some common
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misconceptions about
seasonal affective disorder.
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That it doesn't matter.
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It's no big deal.
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You'll get over it.
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It doesn't last.
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But the fact of the matter
is is that it does last.
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And it can be pervasive, and it could lead
to more chronic depressive disorders.
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So get out there and treat it and
then you'll feel better.
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Seasonal affective disorder. Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health, 2020. (Accessed on December 29, 2020 at https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/seasonal-affective-disorder/index.shtml.)
Seasonal affective disorder. Washington, DC: U.S. National Library of Medicine. (Accessed on December 29, 2020 at https://medlineplus.gov/seasonalaffectivedisorder.html.)