Oct
24
October 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
So appropriately named, I am now SAD or have SAD?! Seasonal affective disorder (
SAD), also known as
winter depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have seemingly normal mental health throughout most of the year and then experience depressive symptoms in the winter.
According to the US National Library of Medicine ”some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up.”
It seems rather early for it to be hitting me this year. Living in the Northwest, the sun seems to go down earlier then in most places. I get up in the morning and it is dark, I come home from work and it is dark…. boy that makes me SAD!
There are many different treatments for classic (
winter-based) seasonal affective disorder, the most widely used are light therapies with bright lights, some times anti-depression medication is prescribed, some try cognitive-behavioral therapy and carefully-timed supplementation of the hormone melatonin can also be used.
Comments
Subscribe To My Feed
