Seasonal Affective Disorder - Common Symptoms and Effective Treatment

Introduction

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year, experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, repeatedly, year after year. Seasonal affective disorder is marked by symptoms of depression, and it can severely impair your daily life. If the symptoms are mild, no treatment may be necessary.

Symptoms

Symptoms begin in the fall, peak in the winter, and usually resolve in the spring. Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include:

* trouble sleeping
* sleeping too much
* fatigue
* depression
* crying spells
* mood changes
* irritability
* more self-critical
* more sensitive to criticism
* lost of interest that are normally enjoyable
* feelings of hopelessness
* decreased activity level
* trouble concentrating
* body aches
* overeating - especially carbohydrates

Note: If you've been diagnosed with SAD, there are a few things you can do to help:

Follow your doctor's recommendations for treatment. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.

Treatment Options

* Light therapy

Before embarking on a course of light treatment, it is best to have a complete psychiatric evaluation. A medical checkup is also important to make sure that symptoms aren't due to a medical condition that needs treatment. Like any medical treatment, light treatment should only be used under the supervision of a doctor.

Light Therapy has been proven effective in over 80% of diagnosed cases, with exposure from 30 minutes to several hours per day to very bright light, at least 10 times the intensity of ordinary domestic lighting. Treatment is usually effective within 3-4 days. For treatment to remain effective, it must be used everyday. Effective light therapy includes daily exposure to full-spectrum fluorescent light. Treatment light boxes can also be purchased.

* Cognitive behavior

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy. It involves finding and changing negative patterns of thought and behavior -- with a trained counselor's help -- in a short series of sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy, alone or with light therapy, is effective at treating SAD according to research.

* Medication

Effective medicine can include anti-depressants, the hormone melatonin, or Modafinil(Provigil).

Melatonin can synchronize the circadian clock to environmental cycles. Melatonin can be purchased over the counter. Modafinil(Provigil) may be also an effective and well-tolerated treatment. Modafinil is available by prescription only.

* Go to a sunny climate during the winter months.

Conclusion

If you've been diagnosed with SAD, there are a few things you can do to help:

Follow your doctor's recommendations for treatment. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. It is important to learn about the symptoms, and to know that there is treatment to help people with SAD live a productive life year-round. Treatment generally continues until spring, when outdoor light alone is sufficient to sustain a good mood and higher energy.