What is seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) typically refers to a syndrome of fall and winter depression. It is used to specify a subtype of Major Depressive Disorder or, in patients with Bipolar disorder, to specify a type of Major Depressive Episode that may occur. Patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder show characteristics similar to others with non-seasonal major depression, but in addition, will show characteristics unique to SAD such as the tendency to eat more (particularly sugar/starchy foods), sleep more and gain weight in the winter months.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a pattern of significant depressive symptoms that occur and then disappear with the changing of the seasons. SAD is sometimes called winter depression or winter blues. SAD occurs when days get shorter around November and reduce with the onset of Spring. SAD can also have a reverse seasonal pattern where depression occurs in summer months.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is better known as winter depression. Winter depression is common, accounting for about 10% of major depressions. It can run in families, which suggests it has a genetic basis. And it is most prevalent in northern climates, which suggests that a lack of daylight contributes to the problem.

People who are susceptible to winter depression usually develop symptoms every year, starting gradually in late autumn and building up during the winter months. Like other forms of depression, SAD produces sadness, lethargy and fatigue, loss of interest in people and activities, impaired concentration, and irritability. But winter depression also leads to oversleeping and overeating, whereas other forms of depression usually produce insomnia and weight loss.

Even without treatment, winter depression melts away with the arrival of spring. But it can leave you overweight, out of shape, and with strained relationships and employment woes. Treatment can help. Only one drug, bupropion (Wellbutrin), is specifically approved for SAD, but SSRIs (medications in the Prozac family) and other antidepressants are also effective. And a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, a good diet, and a strong social network, is bound to help.

Light therapy can also help. A winter on a Caribbean isle might do the trick, but for most of us a combination of artificial light and a long walk in daylight will have to do. And it does help, especially when the supplementing artificial lights are turned on in the early morning to simulate an early sunrise. Ask your doctor about special devices that may be covered by insurance and about prescription medication.

When SAD strikes, a program of medication, lifestyle changes, and light can lift the dark cloud of depression.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a time-limited condition, and there is evidence that it is rooted in imbalances in the system that regulates melatonin and serotonin -- two compounds that transmit impulses in the brain. SAD, which is triggered by increasing darkness during waking hours, occurs primarily in winter months in people in the Northern Hemisphere.

S.A.D. is an appropriate acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is a recurrent mood disorder that can take the form of depression in all ages. But the interesting thing is it is limited to the months where sun and light is all but non-existent. Symptoms of S.A.D. include a depressed mood which is typically worse in the evening, usually with certain characteristic features, namely incessant sleeping, extreme lack of energy, depression, and increased appetite, often with carbohydrate craving and weight gain.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version 4 (DSM-IV), which is the official guidebook for classification of psychiatric disorders, classifies seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as a mood disorder with a seasonal pattern. People afflicted with SAD may notice that they become depressed in the winter months, usually between September and April, when days are shorter and there are fewer hours of sunlight. It is estimated that roughly 10% of individuals afflicted with mood disorders may suffer from SAD.

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Some people experience symptoms of depression only during the winter, which is a sign of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

The mood disorder has symptoms similar to depression and is typically diagnosed after two consecutive winters.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a condition in which a person feels depressed at a certain time each year. Most people experience SAD during the fall and winter months when days are shorter and there is less light.

The cause of SAD is not clearly known. It may be related to changes in the amount and intensity of sunlight in the different seasons. Seasonal affective disorder is sometimes called "the winter blues."

Treatment of SAD includes getting more sunlight, for example sitting near a window or going outside for a walk during the day. It may also include light therapy, counseling and medicines.