What is SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)?
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a specific type of major depression, one which reoccurs at specific times of the year. The most common pattern is the onset of major depression in the fall (September through November) and abating of the symptoms in late winter to early spring (March through May). There are other people who experience periods of abnormally high or euphoric mood between major depressive episodes. The frequency of SAD seems to vary with geographic location. It may approach 10% of the general population in northern New England, 5% of the population in the Baltimore/Washington area, and less than 2% of the population of Southern California or Florida.
Have you ever heard about winter depression, winter blues, summer depression or seasonal depression? All these terms refer to Seasonal Affective Disorder. People who suffer from it usually feel in most seasons well. But, for instance, winter causes bad sleep, anxiety, lack of energy, and so on.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder first identified ten centuries ago by Avicenna[citation needed], in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer,repeatedly, year after year. The US National Library of Medicine notes that “some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up The condition in the summer is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder, and can also include heightened anxiety There are many different treatments for classic (winter-based) seasonal affective disorder, including light therapies with bright lights, anti-depression medication, ionized-air administration, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and carefully
