Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD, is a very common depressive disorder that affects people mainly in gray months in the winter. Most people that suffer from SAD have normal mental health throughout most of the year but experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that can actually affect your daily life. Some people refer to it as just having the “winter blues,” and are not properly treated for their depression. However, not dealing with this disorder properly can result in fatigue, signs of depression, and anxiety. Senior Sarah Slemons agreed that during the winter it is hard to find motivation, and feelings of depression do occur more often than over the summer. “It gets dark so early and the sun is never out!” comments Sarah. “The snow doesn’t help at all, either, and the fact that I’m always cold during the winter.”Some of the obvious and common symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder during the winter are hopelessness, anxiety, oversleeping, weight gain, and loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed. Amanda Keusal looked at these symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, and began to realize that these symptoms do happen to her more often in the winter months. “Not seeing the sun always has affected me during the winter months. Especially with more pressure from school during this time, I get really stressed out, and I can’t find motivation when I am dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder,” says Amanda.
Causes of Seasonal Affective Disorder still remain unknown. However, there are some known
triggers that include a reduced level of sunlight that is commonly known to affect your circadian rhythm. A lack of sunlight in the fall and winter months disrupts your body’s internal clock, which is your way of knowing when to fall asleep and when to wake up. Disruption of this natural occurrence can cause depression. Another trigger is melatonin, a sleep related hormone that increases in your body during your sleep during the winter months. An increase in melatonin is directly linked to depression.Many students agree that they help the symptoms that they get from Seasonal Affective Disorder by going tanning during the winter months. “Even though it’s not real sunlight, I love going tanning because I get to lie in a hot bed for 15 minutes and not have to worry about anything for that whole time” says Sarah Slemons. Some medical treatments include light therapy, which includes a light therapy box that can add light to specific rooms. However, this treatment has not been officially proved to be an actual treatment. Some doctors provide antidepressants for patients dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder. One of the main treatments that doctors recommend is getting up and out of the house to exercise. Taking care of yourself is another thing that is proven to help with this disorder. Getting enough rest and a balanced diet is the key when dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder.
