Roughly 5 percent of Americans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, a depressive illness commonly known as SAD. During the winter months, women in particular find that they become depressed to the point of being unable to function. There are rare cases of SAD occurring during the summer months, but most often it is a winter time disorder. It is sometimes known as “winter blues” and is a depressive illness similar to major depression. Most people first encounter SAD in their early 20s and the risk of developing the depression decreases as you get older. The main treatment for SAD is depression light seasonal therapy.
Symptoms
Doctors who handle cases of SAD look for symptoms related to depression and the time and duration of the symptoms. The most common symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include:
Sadness
Anxiety
Loss of interest in usual activities
Withdrawal from social activities
Inability to concentrate
Increased sleep
Increased appetite
Weight gain
Irritability
Interpersonal difficulties (especially feelings of rejection)
Heavy feeling in the limbs
Causes and Treatment
There is no known cause of SAD but it is believed that the change in the amount of sunlight and length of daylight hours is largely to blame. Also, people who live furthest from the equator seem to suffer most from this disorder and benefit most from depression light seasonal therapy because they experience extended periods of decreased daylight hours.
Treatment for SAD is usually in the form of depression light seasonal therapy which is exposure to light for a specific period at a specific time each day during the months that depression is experienced. Some patients are instructed to spend about an hour each morning in the sunlight, but some areas do not have enough daytime sunlight for this form of therapy to be effective in eliminating symptoms. In many cases depression sufferers use a light emitting box for up to an hour of depression light seasonal therapy in their homes. There are two types of boxed depression light seasonal therapy. The traditional therapy involves using full spectrum light therapy from a large box stationed in the home. This treatment is effective but not portable and can be quite costly because insurance companies do not cover the cost of equipment. A newer type of this therapy is known as blue light therapy and works in much the same way. This therapy focuses on using blue light wavelengths which help the brain differentiate between the time of day and is believed to be even more effective in treating seasonal depression than the traditional depression light seasonal treatment. Most people notice improvements in the depression within just a few days and keep up with the treatment throughout the season.
Side Effects of Depression Light Seasonal Treatment
Sensitivity to light in the eyes
Headache
Fatigue
Irritability
Insomnia (when therapy is used too late in the day)
Possible damage to the retina (under research)
Hypomania (excited mental state similar to mania)
Alternatives
You can choose to have depression light seasonal treatment for your seasonal depression or you can choose from a number of other treatments which have varying levels of effectiveness. These include: drug treatments, psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy.
