What is SAD?
The Mayo Clinic defines it as "a type of
depression that occurs at the same time every
year...your symptoms start in the fall and may
continue into the winter months, sapping your
energy and making you feel moody. Less often,
seasonal affective disorder causes depression in
the spring or early summer."
Winter-onset seasonal affective disorder
symptoms include:
•
Depression
•
Hopelessness
•
Anxiety
•
Loss of energy
•
Heavy, "leaden" feeling in the arms or
legs
•
Social withdrawal
•
Oversleeping
•
Loss of interest in activities you once
enjoyed
•
Appetite changes, especially a craving
for foods high in carbohydrates
•
Weight gain
•
Difficulty concentrating
Summer-onset seasonal affective disorder
symptoms include:
•
Anxiety
•
Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
•
Irritability
•
Agitation
•
Weight loss
•
Poor appetite
•
Increased sex drive
When to see a doctor
It's normal to have some days when you feel
down. But if you feel down for days at a time and
you can't seem to get motivated to do activities
you normally enjoy, see your doctor. This is
particularly important if you notice that your sleep
patterns and appetite have changed or if you feel
hopeless, think about suicide, or find yourself
turning to alcohol for comfort or relaxation.
12 The HUB - September 2014
Climatologists have been warning us for more than a
decade that weather patterns as we have been accustomed to
are rapidly changing. Some argue that our increasing appetite
for oil and energy is to blame while others point to cyclical
variations in weather patterns that have been evident for
hundreds of years. Regardless of the cause, the effects have
been far-reaching.
Not only are most of us troubled by the implications of
global warming but the
unpredictability of what we
used to take for granted has
shaken our fundamental trust
in life itself. The assumption
that every season will fulfill its
promise was as sure as the
setting and rising of the sun. If
we can't count on that, what
else can't we count on?
Even under normal
circumstances, for a certain
percentage of the population,
seasonal changes signal a shift
that is felt emotionally as well as
physically. It’s the transitions between summer and fall as well
as between winter and spring that seem to cause the most
distress to those affected. Increased irritability, difficulty
concentrating, lethargy, social withdrawal and unexplained
aches and pains are often attributed to stressors that tend to
occur at those times of the year. The beginning or ending of a
school year, changes in routine, the start of a new job and
perhaps new living arrangements all offer logical explanations
for feeling out of sorts. And normally that's all we're
experiencing. For some, however, those difficulties persist past
the expected point and need to be acknowledged as
something more than a transient bout of the doldrums.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, as it's more
commonly referred to is classified as a mood disorder most
Even under
normal
circumstances,
the seasonal
shift is felt
emotionally
and physically
Video bonus
Click here to view an
informative video about
SAD from the Canadian
Mental Health Association