Seasonal Affective Disorder

1. Seasonal Affective Disorder Katie Kortan

2. Description • mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter • Occurs at the same time every year • Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D. was the first accounted person to research because of his desire to find out why he was depressed in winter months • Lots think its just the “winter blues” but it isn’t

3. Causes • specific cause of winter depression is still unknown • genetics, age, and your body’s natural chemical makeup play huge roles in developing the condition • Amount of sunlight • Your circadian rhythm, Melatonin levels, and Serotonin levels • argued that SAD is an evolved adaptation in humans that is a variant or remnant of a hibernation response in some remote ancestor

4. Symptoms • Come and go at the same time every year • depression, hopelessness, anxiety, loss of energy/fatigue, social withdrawal, oversleeping and sleeping more than usual, loss of interest in activities, appetite changes, cravings for fatty foods, weight gain, difficulty concentrating or processing information, indecisiveness, thoughts of suicide, irritability, and heaviness of arms and legs • Unable to deal with the increased temperatures during spring and summer months

5. Diagnostic procedures • thorough evaluation • asked detailed questions about your mood, seasonal mood or behavioral changes, sleeping and eating patterns, and some psychological questions • physical exam may be necessary to detect any underlying physical issues linked to SAD • There are no formal medical tests but things like blood test may be necessary to check for underlying problems • For official diagnosis, you must apply to specific criteria that appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). • Criteria include 2 consecutive years of symptoms during the same season, periods of depression must be directly followed by periods without depression, and there are no explanations for changes in your mood or behavior

6. Medical Treatment • Light therapy-sit near a specialized light therapy box which mimics outdoor light and causes change in brain chemicals linking to your mood • SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants, Bupropion, fluoxetine, sertraline, and paroxetine • Negative air ionization involves releasing charged particles into a sleeping environment, and was found to help improvement • carefully time supplementation of the hormone melatonin

7. At home treatment • Spend at least 30 minutes outside daily • Go on walks every day • Set a timer on a light to go on early in the morning in your bedroom • Increasing light exposure with lamps, windows, and fixtures

8. Prognosis • No cure • Light therapy helps but the symptoms come back the next year again

9. Prevention • Taking early steps on managing symptoms helps make them not as bad • Start treatment even before symptoms begin in the winter months and continue even when they are done for the year • Spending at least 30 minutes outdoors daily • Approaching the condition with a positive attitude by things like planning activities you enjoy helps with symptoms • physical activity as a way to relieve symptoms, taking your directed doses of medicine and not changing that up, and being outdoors during midday when the sunlight is the strongest

10. References • Wikipedia • Mayoclinic • Minddisorders • Emedicine