Seasonal Affective Disorder: Symptoms and Treatment

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Apr 21, 2022

✨POV✨: You are feeling sad. And not sure why. Your body is not supporting you. Actually back up, it feels like your body has abandoned your needs. You're constantly tired, drained, and confused, like you're in a limbo. You look outside your window, it's winter and gray. But can the colors you are surrounded by really affect your mood?

Yes, totally can. Our mind reflects the colors we see around us. The dark-room we're sitting in is also the same dark mind-room our thoughts are floating in.

This is also why colors have strong associations with meaning in our society. Red means danger or passion. White means peace. Yellow means cheer or celebration. Blue and Green are called 'cool colors' because they elicit feelings of calmness, patience, and groundedness. Hospital walls, for this reason, are generally painted in cool colors. This helps doctors, nurses, other hospital staff, and patients feel at peace, when stakes are high.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder? 🍃

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of major depression (severe clinical depression) that is triggered by seasonal changes.

Imagine: after a nice bright summer with long and warm days, the impending monochromatic winter months with decreased energy, light, and movement can seem depressing and dreadful. The colors inspire, if anything, lethargy and drudgery.

This is precisely what (OG) SAD is, also popularly known as 'Winter Blues' or Winter Depression. Another lesser-known form is the Reverse Seasonal Depression or Summer Depression, wherein SAD begins in the early spring and summer months due to the sudden heat, longer days and over-exposure to the sun.

The extremity of seasonal changes and the stark transitions times can disbalance our routines, circadian rhythms (our sleep-wake cycles), appetite, moods, and mental health.

Being affected by the weather around us is pretty understandable, but SAD becomes a matter of concern when it becomes difficult for us to function at our highest potential.

Seasonal Affective Disorder Symptoms 🚧

The symptoms of SAD are a combination of psychological, behavioral, and biological patterns; which last for the duration of the season - for a couple of months.

The general understanding is that this condition, until diagnosis is referred to as Seasonal Depression. Upon diagnosis, which is done by a trained mental health professional using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (manual with an official set of criteria for all types of mental illness), this condition is referred to by its clinical name, i.e., Seasonal Affective Disorder.

⚠️ Some of the common SAD symptoms are:

Depressed mood

Loss of interest

Craving starchy and sweet foods

Developing an eating disorder (either overeating or not eating enough)

Trouble sleeping

Feeling hopelessness and worthlessness

Substance abuse

Inability to concentrate and brain fog

Lack of energy and extreme fatigue

🔌 Causes

It becomes possible to step out in the sun during early summer or spring, after a long frosty couple of months when freezing-to-death is not inconceivable.

The one major difference between the two seasons of summer and winter is the amount of sunlight exposure we get, either because of temperatures, mood, or energy levels.

In summers, we get more sunlight, which means higher Vitamin-D levels. In winters, we get a lesser amount of sunlight because of shorter and colder days; which translates to lower Vitamin-D levels. Having an optimum level of Vitamin-D in our body also means that melatonin (our sleep hormone) is kept in check.

When our Vitamin-D levels are higher than needed, our melatonin levels dip, making it difficult for us to sleep at night. On the flip side, low Vitamin-D levels lead to high melatonin levels, which makes oversleeping a common tendency.

This one imbalance in the body is said to be able to trigger every other symptom listed above - this is the biological basis for SAD. A psychological basis can be traumatic or difficult incidents that occurred in the season, with strong links of the incident to the weather.

Imagine: it's summer and there's a pool party at your neighbors' house. Everyone is wearing bikinis or beach shorts, but you are too conscious about your body to wear the same. You also know that you'd be made fun of if you show up wearing more covers than the others. You take the leap, it's your body at the end of the day. But kids can be mean, very mean, and they were as they made fun of you. Now, summers remind you of those feelings you had that summer.

Management and Treatment of SAD 🩹

To manage and treat SAD is very possible. We can either take the help of a mental health professional or try out some DIY techniques to beat the triggers of seasonal depression. These are some of the methods prescribed once the diagnosis of SAD has been made:

🕯️ Bright Light Therapy

This is the most popular treatment option for winter depression, as the trigger for winter SAD is less exposure to sunlight. The bright light lamp is used to substitute for natural sunlight and make up for the shorter sunlight days. For the symptoms and severity we have, the mental health professional prescribes usage of the lamp for those many hours.

🗣️ Psychotherapy or "Talk Therapy"

Talk therapy very often goes hand-in-hand with bright light therapy to unpack the baggage we may have accrued from our previous episodes of SAD. There are many different types of talk therapy available today. To know more about therapy and its different types, click here.

A new addition to collection is the mini-therapy. Mini-Therapies are bite-sized therapy sessions that are available on your phone, when you need them the most. Thinking, 'I can't find my motivation to work' or 'I want to clear my head before a meeting', pick the mini-therapy and in 5-10 minutes, get the guidance you need to process your emotions, while you're having them.

💊 Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

This type of medication is specifically used to treat depression and hence, called antidepressants. These antidepressant medications help serotonin circulate in our bodies for longer, by preventing the re-uptake or absorption. These cannot be bought over-the-counter (OTC) and need a psychiatrist's prescription.

🥚 Vitamin-D Supplements

This is one of the easiest-peasiest ways to fix SAD. When we have low Vitamin-D levels, our sleep hormones (melatonin) and happy hormones (serotonin) are disrupted. So, if we are experiencing SAD (OG), vitamin supplements can really give our bodies and minds a boost. It's like our body is able to shield itself better from the conditions of the outside world and naturally, the mind is also in a better position to defend any seasonal attack.

Warm-weather blues have fewer guided methods of help than OG SAD, with a greater dependence on lifestyle changes, building solid routines, and maintaining physical health.

What’s the Final Word for Our Mental Health 💝

So, there are two types of seasonal depression. One cannot have both, but how does one know which one they have? Click here to know more about the factors that play a role in deciding which type of SAD we have.

When we don't know how our environment affects our mental climate, we can be swayed as though the seasons have a remote control to our moods. But truth is, the second we understand that seasons have an effect on us that can be mitigated, we're already taking away the power that our environment has over our minds.

Note on Mental Disorders 🚩

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a seasonal form of Major Depressive Disorder (severe clinical depression). If the SAD symptoms worsen, it is important to contact a mental health professional to help us find a treatment for the depressive episodes.

Seasonal Affective Disorders are often accompanied by other mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder, panic disorder or anxiety disorder. If you have such symptoms of depression or thoughts of self-harm, please use the national institute helpline or contact a mental health professional to seek treatment options.