Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder

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Some individuals who experience recurrent depressive episodes show a seasonal pattern, commonly known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Individuals with this subtype of mood disorder appear to be responsive to the total quantity of available light in the environment, with a majority of them becoming depressed in the fall and winter when less natural sunlight is available. Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include fatigue, excessive sleep, craving for carbohydrates, and weight gain, and individuals with this disorder often show clear disturbances in their circadian cycles, with weaker 24-hour patterns than normal individuals.

Although the cause of seasonal affective disorder is not clear, one possibility is that seasonal changes in light may alter the body's underlying biological rhythms that regulate such processes as body temperature and sleep-wake cycles. Another possibility is that some parts of the central nervous system may have deficiencies in transmission of the mood-regulating neurotransmitter, serotonin, during winter months.

SAD affects women more often than men, and nearly half of those affected report that episodes began during childhood or adolescence. Prevalence rates for symptoms of seasonal affective disorder suggest that winter SAD is more common in individuals living at higher latitudes (northern climates) and in younger people.

Criteria for Seasonal Pattern Specifier:

Specify if:

With Seasonal Pattern (can be applied to the pattern of Major Depressive Episodes in Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, or Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent)

A. There has been a regular temporal relationship between the onset of Major Depressive Episodes in Bipolar I or Bipolar II Disorder or Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent, and a particular time of the year (e.g., regular appearance of the Major Depressive Episode in the fall or winter). Note: Do not include cases in which there is an obvious effect of seasonal-related psychosocial stressors (e.g., regularly being unemployed every winter). Full remissions (or a change from depression to mania or hypomania) also occur at a characteristic time of the year (e.g., depression disappears in the spring).

C. In the last 2 years, two Major Depressive Episodes have occurred that demonstrate the temporal seasonal relationships defined in Criteria A and B, and no nonseasonal Major Depressive Episodes have occurred during that same period.

D. Seasonal Major Depressive Episodes (as described above) substantially outnumber the nonseasonal Major Depressive Episodes that may have occurred over the individual's lifetime.

Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder:

A trial of intensive light therapy, called phototherapy, often helps relieve depression. Phototherapy typically consists of exposure to 2 -3 hours of artificial light a day. The artificial light apparently supplements the low amount of sunlight the individual otherwise receives.

Phototherapy does not help all individuals with SAD, especially those who are more severely affected. Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed to treat more severe episodes of SAD.

Articles on the Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder:

NHS: Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression which has a seasonal pattern. The most common form of SAD is also called 'winter depression' because symptoms are worst in the winter months. Symptoms tend to start from around September and are worse when the days are shortest (in December, January and February). By springtime, most people with SAD will improve and symptoms usually disappear.

Winter Depression Could Be a Sign of Seasonal Affective Disorder

The blues are an unfortunate part of the holiday season for many people. Some individuals suffer from depression more acutely during this time of year due to the pain of lost loved ones or from the stress and pressure that Christmas can bring. Others, however, can find no obvious cause for their low mood, or for the reason that their mood seems to lift as soon as the weather warms and the snow melts away.

Descriptions and Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder:

"Every year, like clockwork, I get depressed in October and don't come out of it until late March. This started happening when I was in my early twenties and continued for 8 years now. The depressions were never severe enough that I couldn't function, but they zapped all the life out of me and made it impossible for me to enjoy the holidays. When I was 25 I went to the doctor and he told me it was holiday anxiety. I finally went back last year, really only because of the weight I have gained, and I finally got a real diagnosis. I just bought my first light box to use every day, and I now will be taking an antidepressant starting in September every year. I'm already feeling better and I hope to have a normal life one day soon."
- Christine Balba