Seasonal Affective Disorder

Everything you need to know about seasonal affective disorder, from causes to treatment.

Millions of people across the world are affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD syndrome) every year. It is best described as a change in mood, behaviour and metabolism of a person in winter. Sufferers have a great dislike of the shorter days and the dark mornings that winter brings and this affects their mood, bringing on a period of depression.

First described by the 6th Century Goth scholar Jordanes when he described the people of Scandinavia, SAD syndrome has been found to affect 20% of the Swedish population, giving wintertime a higher occurrence of depression related sleep loss, anxiety and lethargy. Most cases are mild but some people do require treatment in hospital for their disorder.

The strongest theory put forward as to the causes of SAD syndrome is lack of bright light throughout winter. Bright light has been proven to change the chemistry in the brain even though the exact method used to create this effect is not known At times sufferers may not feel depressed but do feel in a state of lethargy when approaching tasks that require effort.

Another theory into the causes of the disorder is that SAD is directly linked to an imbalance of serotonin in the brain although this particular theory is heavily disputed in the medical profession.

Even though it sounds bleak, sufferers do not need to give up hope on a treatment. There are a broad spectrum of treatments to help even the most severe case of seasonal affective disorder which include medication, light therapy and ionized-air reception. The most common treatment is however, light therapy. This effectively entails either going to sunnier climes or sitting in front of a light box each day. For most people sitting in front of a light box for 15-45mins a day is enough to get rid of their symptoms. The best advice on treatment for SAD syndrome is by talking to your doctor who will be able to discuss your individual needs and treatment.

Written by Anthony Amerson. For more articles on depression and affective disorder visit Affective.com