Dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder

Society sees the changing of seasons not only in climate but in the different behaviors of large groups of people in general. Summer months are filled with lawn parties, BBQs , and young people “cruising” town and having fun. There seems to be a higher complaint rate of noise pollution in these warmer days and local, state, and nationwide festivals are held for days on end. Summer truly has a way of bringing out the joy of life. On the other end of the spectrum, when the winter months arrive, the world seems to crawl to a slower pace. As the population adjusts to the shorter days and colder weather, people start sticking close to home. For someone experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder, this change not only happens around them, it happens inside them as well.

The diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV) defines Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, as “a subtype of major depressive episode.” Like regular depression, it’s characterized by a general sadness and lack of energy, as well as weight loss or weight gain, the inability to sleep, and the urge to withdraw from society in general. The difference is that it comes and goes with the seasons. Clinical studies have shown a link between the amount of light a person is exposed to and the amount of hormones that regulate depressive emotions. Though this link has been questioned and still garners a few skeptics in both the scientific and psychological world, it has been strong enough to warrant developing therapies that involve the use of a light box and/or anti-depressants to counteract the effects of SAD.