Have you ever experienced a sudden unexplainable mood shift as the winter season sets in? If your answer is yes, then you may have experienced SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or winter depression. SAD sufferers are normally healthy for the most part of the year, until winter settles when daylight hours are shortened and there is lack of sunlight. This causes a biochemical imbalance in the hypothalamus which then leads to SAD.
SAD sufferers normally feel depressed. Some of the other symptoms of this seasonal disorder include anxiety, hopelessness, oversleeping, appetite changes, social withdrawal, and loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It is normal for SAD sufferers to contract infections and illnesses during the winter season since their immune systems usually weaken.
Seasonal affective disorder often begins in the late teens and may continue to surface until the age of 30. Though it is more often diagnosed in women, more severe symptoms are present in men.
SAD is a common occurrence among people who live far from the equator. There have also been studies claiming that SAD may be passed on to other family members, though no definite conclusions have been made regarding this matter.
There are 3 basic ways to treat SAD: light therapy, the use of anti-depressants, and psychotherapy.
As spring sets in, SAD symptoms begin to gradually disappear. Some SAD sufferers may experience hyperactivity as this change happens.
A reverse condition which normally occurs in the summertime is called Reversed Seasonal Affective Disorder.
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