Are you depressed in the winter and don’t know why?

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Better known as wintertime depression, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) comes out of nowhere and affects more than 10 million Americans per year. Women are 4 times more likely to be affected by this type of depression. Many factors contribute to the winter time blues to include reduced sunlight which often results in a vitamin-D deficiency.  Also, people frequently lack the desire to engage in outdoor activities when it is cold unless you are one that loves skiing or snowboarding.  Most importantly, research has found that in the winter months Serotonin in some is highly affected and thereby contributes to poor mood function.  

Some signs to look out for include:

• Low energy
• Hypersomnia
• Overeating
• Weight gain
• Craving carbohydrates
• Social Withdrawal

These symptoms are in addition to those of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). In order to be diagnosed with SAD one must meet the criteria  for MDD for 2 seasons (winter, summer). 

Symptoms of MDD include:

• Feelings of depression most days
• Hopelessness/worthlessness
• Loss of interest in once enjoyable activities
• Sluggishness/agitation
• Difficulties with concentration
• Thoughts of suicide/self-harm

Available Treatments

Treatments that have been proven to be helpful include medication, psychotherapy, light therapy and a medical evaluation to rule out a medical explanation of mood changes.  

• Medications are helpful for moderate to severe depression to help one boost their mood as a way to improve motivation and gain an overall better feeling. Once the severe symptoms of depression have lifted one is more able to make realistic choice that further increase one’s mood. 
• Psychotherapy can help to support a person through their depression and serve as an accountable partner to encourage positive choices and to allow one to vent their daily issues.  In addition, therapy can assist in providing coping skills to manage symptoms while feeling the depression. Lastly, therapy can teach one to monitor their symptoms, the onset and ways to prepare for the next episode. 
• Light Therapy is a portable lamp that mimics the natural sunlight. Sunlight is diminished in the winter months and thereby reduces the amount of natural vitamin-D one can absorb. Studies have shown that depleted vitamin D is a contributing factor to depression. 
• Medical Evaluations can ensure that something else is not contributing to your poor mood. One common medical issue that has been linked to depression is hypothyroidism.

The bottom line is that depression can come at any time but for those of us that experience this in the extreme seasons, mostly the winter, it can make those few months terrible without the right diagnosis, evaluation and treatment.  If you are concerned about symptoms you are feeling and may think it is related to SAD please make an appointment today we are here to support you.

For more information on SAD visit NIMH .