What treatments exist for Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Treatment for seasonal affective disorder normally involves light therapy or phototherapy. This is where you are exposed to bright artificial light for a short time - 30 minutes per day. The fluorescent light is designed to mimic normal daylight and appears to stimulate your circadian rhythm. This suppresses the level of melatonin produced naturally and you feel more alert.

The most common light therapy treatment uses a lightbox. A daily treatment of 30 minutes is required. This process is repeated daily until the longer days arrive - usually spring time. There are a few associated side affects with light therapy devices, but this depends on the time of day used, the type of device used and the duration of exposure.

The most common side affects include:

• Eyestrain
• Fatigue
  
• Headaches
  
• Irritability
• Impact on sleep

Overall, the side affects vary from person to person and really depends on the time and length of daily treatment. 30 minutes in the morning is long enough and normally avoids the side affects.

Alternative treatments for SAD include more traditional medications associated with general depression. These are not ideal as more side affects occur and they can be costly. Behavior therapy and counseling is another alternative. A combination of all 3 treatments is rare.

More cost effective solutions include more time spent outdoors during winter months - walking or gentle exercise. Even on overcast days, being outdoors and being exposed to natural daylight will help keep melatonin production in check.

What are the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Like most things, the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder vary from person to person. Some people will experience more symptoms than others. At the same time, some people will experience varying degrees of the symptoms. This makes it difficult to pin down the exact symptoms of SAD.

Common SAD symptoms include:

• Fatigue - lower energy levels
• Increased anxiety and irritability
• Decreased motivation
• Lower ability to concentrate
• Increased sleep time (oversleeping)
  
• Appetite is affected - craving for sweet snacks that may lead to weight gain

For the less common summer-onset depression, the symptoms are reversed in some cases. The most common SAD symptoms for summer-onset depression include:

• Lower appetite - leading to weight loss
• Insomnia
• Increased anxiety and irritability

Other symptoms related to different types of depression are common as well. These are likely to be more ongoing than cyclical. SAD symptoms tend to be cyclical and come and go as the seasons change.

How Common is SAD?

SAD is surprisingly common. There have been no specific studies that I am aware of that show the true extent of seasonal affective disorder. Some studies show up to 20% of people may suffer from some form of SAD. SAD affects more men than women. However, when a man is diagnosed with SAD, they experience more severe symptoms.

Most people will have experienced "winter blues". However, if accompanied by other symptoms such as fatigue or lethargy, it is more likely SAD than normal winter blues. Many people with the condition do not seek medical help.

Winter-onset depression is the most common. The shorter daylight hours may be the cause. People in northern regions are more likely to suffer - due to the shorter days the further north you go. Most people affected will only show mild symptoms of depression.

Summer-onset depression is rarer - believed to be lower than 1% of the population. No detailed study to understand summer-onset depression has been undertaken.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD for short), is a form of depression related to the changing seasons. The most common type of SAD is during winter. It is also known as winter-onset depression. Most people affected will start to show symptoms towards the end of Autumn and will shake off the affects as Spring arrives.

This winter depression is caused due to a lack of natural light. This can affect the levels of vitamin D in the body - which helps prevent depression. Not everyone affected by SAD will have a vitamin D deficiency, but some of them will. It may help to be exposed to natural daylight during the shorter days rather than staying indoors.

The less common type of SAD is called summer-onset depression. A lack of vitamin D isn't an issue in this case, but the variable hours of daylight can be attributed to it. As daylight varies, people may go through various stages of seasonal affective disorder - some of which is not noticeable at all.

The good news for people who suffer this condition is that it can be overcome easily enough.