- Hunkering Down for the Winter Blues - DevonTT, Attribution License
What has earned the clinical label of seasonal affective disorder or SAD can only be diagnosed as the crow flies, or more specifically, by monitoring individual biological rhythms. About the time the birds head south for the winter until well after their return, an estimated 15 percent of the population will stumble through seasonal depression. The affliction bottoms out during the winter months, December through February.
It is difficult to categorize it as a separate condition from clinical depression or other mood disorders, so the actual number of sufferers and their specific treatments can be confusing even to medical professionals. Studies have shown that the onset of the disorder begins in adolescence and is experienced mostly in the 18- through 30-year-old population; three out of four sufferers are women.
SAD Symptoms
While many experience a briefer and milder version of SAD known as the "winter blues," others experience deeper depression including feelings of apathy and despair. In addition to depression are anxiety, low stress tolerance, and mood swings. Most experience sleep problems, having difficulty getting out of bed, to nights where it is impossible to fall asleep or to remain sleeping.
Weight gain is an inevitable by-product of seasonal blues. In the colder and dark winter season, a sufferer's diet staples are starchy and sweet "comfort foods" while the chill, and symptoms of lethargy, prevent them from burning it all off.
Another common SAD symptom is loss of libido or sex drive. In fact, most activities that were once enjoyable lose their appeal. Many SAD people find themselves avoiding opportunities for socializing altogether. In an Alaskan winter, where days are brief, winter blues and the tendency to isolate are commonly referred to as "cabin fever."
SAD Diagnosis and Treatment
Talking to a health care provider is the best first step in dealing with any ailment or symptom. Diagnosing SAD is best done on a case by case basis, relying on longitudinal studies of a minimum of three years. Individuals, along with a medical professional, track their seasonal symptoms over the course of three seasons. If they are symptom-free during the remainder of the year, then a diagnosis of SAD is presumed.
Treatment follows cause, and most doctors recommend therapy and medication. But keep in mind that questions and theories about this disorder remain, and a prescription remedy may only serve to cloud the issue.
One prevailing theory is that seratonin and melatonin levels are affected by the reduction of light during the winter. If the level of these hormones affects the body's internal clock, that could account for the lack of energy or the inability to face life with the same vigor as in spring or summer. This theory may also explain reverse symptoms for a smaller fraction of the population, about one out of ten people, during the summer when the days are longer. There are medications available that suppress the effects of melatonin production in the body.
Another theory that is generating a lot of research has more to do with the individual's timed exposure to light, and the timing of sleep. Disrupted circadian rhythms are commonly experienced in shift work and jet lag, and is thought to be the main cause of seasonal depression.
One promising treatment for disrupted sleep and generally feeling out of sync is light therapy or exposure to a high lux light box simulating outdoor light. Light therapy is recommended for short periods when first waking up and, in some cases before going to bed.
Several northern climate countries like Finland and Switzerland have specialty cafes with free use light boxes to respond to their customers' need for the sun's photo rays. In the November 11, 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, one professor of psychiatry at the University of Basel in Switzerland says, "Light is as effective an antidepressant as medications are, perhaps more so."
Our Bodies, Our SAD Self-Help
Some insurance companies will reimburse for SAD treatment and light therapy. It may not be an easy claim, as light boxes are difficult to medically distribute. There are coping strategies while waiting for diagnosis and treatment, or for this season's winter doldrums to pass, whichever comes first. They are:
- allowing for the luxury of time alone and sleeping
- creating a sanctuary for lounging and accomplishing light tasks
- using a broad spectrum bulb that's closest to natural light and soaking it in
- being surrounded with plants or flowers, planting seeds and watching them grow
- watching old movies and irrelevent television programs (and new movies and relevent tv)
- learning a small new skill
- taking walks
- visiting a friend whose energy either soothes and refreshes, or inspires
- breaking up required tasks into manageable chunks and then chipping away
- bundling up, wearing lots of soft clothing and comfy socks or slippers
- filling up on gooey macaroni and cheese or hot buttered biscuits, but only once a day
There are support groups available for commiserating with fellow SAD suffers and learning more about the disorder and treatments. They are the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH), and the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (SLTBR). There may be a local chapter nearby, so while nesting with that mug o' hot chocolate, add them to the list of coping strategies and then give them a call!
Sources:
sada.org.uk. "Seasonal Affective Disorder Association," (accessed February 1, 2010)
websciences.org. JAMA, "Dawn's Early Light to Twilight's Last Gleaming..., November 11, 1998." (accessed February 1, 2010)
Related Articles:
Chronotherapeutics for Affective Disorders
Understanding Summer Depression
How to Stay Active and Minimize SAD Symptoms
Martha Frye-Nelson - I am a rugged and robust PNW individualist. After college I went underground to take care of my family. I do like to emerge and blink in ...
