Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons. SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you're like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer.

Pronunciation

Seasonal Affective Disorder is pronounced as /siːzənəl əˈfektɪv dɪsˈɔːdər/.

Etymology

The term "Seasonal Affective Disorder" was coined by Norman E. Rosenthal and his colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health in 1984. The term is derived from the Latin "saison" (season), "affectus" (emotion), and "disorder" (a state of confusion).

Symptoms

Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder may include:

• Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
• Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Having low energy
• Having problems with sleeping
• Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
• Feeling sluggish or agitated
• Having difficulty concentrating
• Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty
• Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide

Causes

The specific cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder remains unknown. Some factors that may come into play include:

• Your biological clock (circadian rhythm). The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD. This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body's internal clock and lead to feelings of depression.
• Serotonin levels. A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, might play a role in SAD. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.
• Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the body's level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.

Treatment

Treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder may include light therapy (phototherapy), medications and psychotherapy.

Related Terms

• Depression
• Melatonin
• Serotonin
• Phototherapy
• Circadian rhythm

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Wikipedia's article - Seasonal Affective Disorder

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