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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
What Is It?
What Is It?
Seasonal Affective Disorder, commonly known as SAD, affects millions of people around the world. It is a medically recognized form of depression that can be debilitating, causing people to miss work, neglect time with their families, and generally lose enjoyment in their lives.
Causes of SAD
Causes of SAD
Sunlight improves mood, and a lack of it over a long period of time depresses the mood. This is why most cases of SAD occur in fall and winter months, when daylight hours are shorter, and even the daylight is muted by overcast skies.
What Can I Do About It?
What Can I Do About It?
So what can people experiencing SAD do to make themselves feel better? SAD is a form of depression, which means that some techniques for easing the symptoms of depression will make a difference. Some people with SAD go to therapy, and some take medications. One unique strategy for battling SAD specifically is the use of sunlight lamps. It is believed that these lamps produce the same spectrum of light as the sun, tackling one of the main causes of SAD: lack of sunlight.
Get Help
Get Help
If you are suffering from depression, remember, you are not alone, and there is help.
Call the SAMHSA national helpline at:
1-800-662-HELP
or
Visit SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) at:
MORE Resources
MORE Resources
@ Your Library:
@ Your Library:
Ebook:
Pandi-Perumal, S. R., & Partonen, T. (2010). Seasonal affective disorder : practice and research (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199544288.001.0001.
Ebook:
Götz Jannik. (2020). Seasonal affective disorder and light therapy : using human-centered design to treat winter depression (Ser. Bestmasters ser). Springer.
Link to this ebook's record in WorldCat Discovery to learn more about this title and to access the content online: https://vwu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1130030528
Book:
Rosenthal, N. E. (1989). Seasons of the mind : why you get the winter blues & what you can do about it. Bantam Books.
Link to this book's record in WorldCat Discovery to learn more about this title and to place a hold online: https://vwu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/20091163
On the Web:
On the Web:
National Institute of Mental Health:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder
Johns Hopkins Medicine:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/seasonal-affective-disorder
NPR Podcast:
https://www.npr.org/2020/10/23/927135639/coping-with-sad-or-seasonal-affective-disorder
On Video:
On Video:
Thorun combats winter depression by swimming in the sea and soaking in volcanic waters; Fontanille joins her. Thorun reflects on what her life would be like in winter without swimming.
People who suffer from seasonal affective disorder experience depression in fall and winter months, marked by sleepiness. Increased carbohydrate consumption increases serotonin levels in the brain, causing many SAD sufferers to gain weight.
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