Seasonal Affective Disorder Can Get You Right in the Feels

What is it?

Seasonal Affective Disorder (also called SAD or Seasonal Depression) is a mental disorder that is more prevalent in the fall and winter months. It is sometimes called winter depression but there is also a more rare form of Seasonal Depression that occurs in the spring and summer months. Seasonal Affective Disorder treatment is necessary, but it does not always mean medication.

It is believed to be related to hormonal changes in the brain that are triggered by the changing of the seasons. The main theory is that when fall and winter come, there is usually reduced sunlight, which lowers the levels of serotonin in the brain.  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that everyone has to varying degrees. When our serotonin levels are low, we sometimes feel sad. Serotonin has a calming effect on our brains and if our levels are low, we can feel lethargic and depressed.

SAD typically starts in young adulthood but it can also start later in life, especially if you experience lifestyle changes. If you suddenly are outside very little - perhaps because you are indoors working when the sun is out or maybe because you work nights and spend most of your days sleeping - you may start to experience sadness that is related to seasonal depression.

The winter depression form of SAD rarely occurs close to the Equator because the days are long and warm.  It is much easier to spend time outside when it is warm and sunny!

What Are the Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Different people may suffer from different symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder by some of the typical symptoms include:

• Gaining weight
• Being more tired than usual
• Being lethargic
• Having little energy
• Having a hard time concentrating
• Wanting to eat a lot (especially carbs and chocolate!)
• Wanting to be by yourself more than usual
• Craving sleep (especially when you don’t actually think you need it)

These symptoms can be experienced together or in groups.

Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment Options

Once you see a doctor and it is decided that you have Seasonal Affective Disorder, treatment options will be made available to you. Your doctor may prescribe one of these treatments or more than one might be prescribed at once.  

The three main Seasonal Affective Disorder treatment options are:

1. Phototherapy or Light Treatment: This is one of the most common treatments and is often tried before anything else because side effects are minimal (if at all) and it is usually quite affordable compared to other options. It involved sitting under a light treatment box for prescribed periods of time (depending on the severity of your condition). The light that comes from the treatment boxes is very similar to the light that comes from the sun and it helps your brain increase your levels of serotonin. Most people find it effective and notice a change in 2-4 days. The HappyLight 4500 Sunshine system is affordable for almost any budget. It weighs only 3.5 lbs and is so compact that it can fit on almost any flat surface.
2. Medication: If your condition is quite severe or if you have experienced Seasonal Affective Disorder in previous years, your doctor may prescribe an anti-depressant such as Effexor, Prozac, Paxil, Soloft, or Sarafem. These anti-depressants all have their own side effects though and you should discuss these carefully with your doctor before you agree to use them. They can take several weeks to take effect so some doctors use them in situations where they expect that their patient will start feeling the effects of SAD at a certain time and they will have their patient start before the symptoms begin.
3. Psychotherapy: While psychotherapy will not directly affect they symptoms, it can help deal with the symptoms and cope with other situations in your life that can make the symptoms worse. Negative thoughts and negative environments can actually worsen symptoms so psychotherapy can help you identify, manage, and even change negative thoughts and aspects of your life.

Home Remedies and Alternative Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatments

If you want to try these home remedies or alternative treatments, you can do so without a doctor but remember that the symptoms of depression of any kind can be very dangerous. Please do not rely on these methods if your symptoms continue for more than a couple of weeks or get worse!

Home Remedies

• Take yourself outside - Getting outside is one of the best things you can do! Try to be outside in the sunlight for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. You can break this up into smaller portions but the more you are outside the more you are able to soak up the rays of the sun that will help. It doesn’t matter if it is cloudy - the sun will still reach you. If you are outside in the first couple hours of your day, the effect of the sun can help you get through the rest of the day. Bundle up if it is cold and go for a walk, sit on a bench, or go window shopping.
• Get some exercise - Exercise does as much for your brain as it does for your body. It increases all sorts of healthy brain chemicals that make you feel happy. Get two things done at once by taking your exercise outside if you can.
• Keep the environment bright - When you are inside during the day, keep the blinds or curtains open. Try to sit near a window with bright light if you can. While it may be tempting to draw the curtains when you are feeling sad, it won’t help you so keep them open!

Alternative Therapies

• Melatonin - regulates mood.
• St. John’s Wort - can help mild-to-moderate depression.
• Omega-3 fatty acids - fish like mackerel, salmon, or herring; also nuts and grains.

My Experience

I suffered from SAD for several years when I was in university. It was pretty hard to go through and I had no idea what was wrong with me. All I wanted to do was sleep and eat. As the season progressed from fall to winter, I would get more lethargic and would miss classes. It was all I could do to get to work. I blew off the idea of depression because I didn’t feel like I had anything to be depressed about. 

Then, one day, about the third year into it, I was going through my journals (big journaller here) and I found that the signs would start around October and get progressively worse. When spring came, I would start feeling better and by summer I was back to myself again. I went back to the previous year and found the same thing. Then I went back one more year to my first year of university and found that it happened very much the same then, too!

I finally went to a doctor. The first thing he did was offer me meds. I knew that couldn’t be the only option so I went to another doctor. This doctor asked me about my lifestyle and my habits. He suggested making some changes there first. 

At this point it was almost spring, so it was hard to tell if I felt better because of the changes or because of the season change but the next year, I knew what I had to do.

These were some of the preventative measures I took:

• I ate salmon about 3 times a week. On other days I made sure that I started the day off with protein of some kind.
• I walked outside for at least 30 minutes every day, no matter how cold it was. I walked 15 minutes around campus in my morning spare and I walked for 15 minutes later in the day by getting off the bus a few stops earlier.
• I journaled often to keep track of how I was feeling.
• I made sure that when I was in class, I sat near a window.

That year, I didn’t start feeling the effects until later in the winter and by the time they started spring was almost there and I could look forward to warmer and longer days.

That worked for me.

But if you do have the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, please see a doctor!