What Is Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD) ?
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
also known as winter depression affects around 2 million British
citizens each year. Symptoms are most common in people aged
between 18-30 years old. It is thought that twice as many women
are affected than men, but this could be explained by the fact
that men are less likely to admit to being depressed.
Sufferers usually experience no
mental health problems throughout most of the year, but tend to
develop depressive symptoms during the winter months. It is
common that symptoms occur amongst sufferers between September
and April each year with symptoms at their worst in December,
January and February.
Symptoms of SAD
The symptoms of SAD vary
between different people. A small percentage of SAD sufferers
struggle to cope during the winter without continuous treatment.
However for the majority of SAD sufferers, symptoms tend to be
less intense and last for shorter periods of time.
The most common symptoms of SAD
(of which many are associated with general depression) include:
- General Depression -
feeling glooming
- Mood Swings
- Social Withdrawal - not
wanting to see people
- Anxiety - Inability to
cope
- Lethargy / Tiredness - no
energy for everyday tasks
- Sleep Problems -
oversleeping and not wanting to get out of bed
- Overeating - cravings for
carbohydrates, leading to weight gain
- Frequent Illness - due to
a weakened immune system
- Difficulty concentrating
or making decisions
- Loss of libido
What Causes SAD
The exact cause of SAD is still
unknown. However most theories centre on light deficiency during
the winter months due to the shortening of daylight hours and a
lack of sunshine.
Light helps to trigger messages
to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which helps to
control mood, sleep and appetite. A lack of exposure to light
and problems with certain brain chemicals is thought to prevent
the hypothalamus from functioning properly.
It is common for SAD sufferers
to have lower levels of a brain chemical called Serotonin.
Serotonin helps to transmit messages from nerve cells to the
brain and has a role in "lifting the mood". It is thought that
the development of Serotonin is affected by exposure to sunlight
and therefore a lack of exposure to sunlight will mean that less
Serotonin will be produced.
SAD sufferers are likely to
respond to a decrease in light by producing more of a chemical
called Melatonin during winter than non SAD Sufferers. Melatonin
helps to slow down the body clock, affects sleep and alters mood
patterns. When sufferers are treated with bright light, their
Melatonin levels tend to return to normal. However using light
therapy to affect Melatonin levels will not completely cure SAD.
Diagnosis of SAD
A GP will be able to advise you
whether the symptoms present, are being caused by SAD. SAD is
difficult to diagnose as the symptoms of the condition are very
similar to those of other types of depression and other mental
health conditions.
One occurrence of the
aforementioned symptoms does not automatically mean that you
have SAD.
Diagnosis will usually take
place when the symptoms have been experienced during the same
months (usually winter), followed by the symptoms clearing in
the following months (spring), over a period of two or more
consecutive years.
Treatment For SAD
Research in recent years has
shown that SAD sufferers have responded dramatically to "light
therapy". By exposing SAD sufferers to summertime levels of
daylight during the winter, it is possible to reduce the
negative symptoms of SAD. Research has shown that light therapy
works in around 80% of people, and an improvement in symptoms
can be achieved in as little as 3 to 5 days.
Light therapy (also known as
photo therapy) involves exposure to very bright light for
extended periods each day. The aim of light therapy is to
stimulate a change in the brain chemicals and hormones that
affect the mood.
Light boxes are ideal source
for light therapy. A light box gives out a light that is up to
10 times stronger than normal light. The necessary length of
exposure depends on the strength of the light box and the
recommended daily dose of light for SAD sufferers is 5,000 lux.
Although light boxes are the
ultimate source of light for SAD sufferers, functional
Daylight Lamps and Daylight Bulbs can also be purchased to
enable the user to read, colour match and conduct fine detailed
work, whilst exposing the user to increased levels of natural
daylight during the darker winter months. This exposure can help
to alleviate some of the symptoms of SAD whilst you are working.
Before conducting any light
therapy, it is advised that you visit your GP in order to decide
which form of light therapy will be best for you.
