The acronym S.A.D. stands for Seasonal Affect Disorder, otherwise known as seasonal depression. This refers to a type of depression that is related to the changing of the seasons, meaning a person with S.A.D. has symptoms of depression beginning usually in the fall season and continuing through the winter months (although there are rare cases of S.A.D. occurring during the spring and summer seasons). There seems to be a correlation with the amount of sunlight a person receives and symptoms of S.A.D., leading many psychologists to believe that S.A.D. is most likely caused by a lack of sunlight with the cloudy weather and shorter days of fall and winter, leading to lower melatonin and serotonin levels in the body.
Many people who live in the northwest areas of North America—such as Vancouver, where UBC’s main campus is located—experience S.A.D. because of these seasonal changes with the weather and decreasing hours of daylight. In fact, 2-3% of Canadians will experience moderate to severe S.A.D. in their lifetime and 15% of Canadians will experience a milder form of S.A.D. People who move to these northwest areas from places that are sunny all year round may experience this for the first time and not understand what is happening and may mistake it for a different form of depression. My goal in this article is to clarify the difference between S.A.D. and other depressive disorders for anyone who feels they may be experiencing symptoms of some kind of depressive disorder.
Some symptoms of fall/winter S.A.D. include: sleep disturbances (this can be either not sleeping enough or sleeping too much), feeling unusually or inexplicably tired all the time, feelings of constant guilt, hopelessness, and sadness, weight gain or weight loss, feeling irritable, feeling frequently tense and stressed, difficulty concentrating, feeling sluggish, and avoiding people or activities you normally enjoy or used to enjoy. For spring/summer, S.A.D., some symptoms are trouble sleeping, weight loss, poor appetite, and agitation or anxiety.
These symptoms usually last until the changing of the seasons, which is the defining factor between S.A.D. and different forms of depression. While a lot of the symptoms are similar, major depressive disorder has a duration time between 3 months to 12 months on average. If feelings of major depression last for at least 2 years, a diagnosis of persistent depressive disorder could be made. Another possibility is something called chronic depression, where a person experiences fewer and milder symptoms of major depression for at least 2 years (longer, if left untreated). The key difference between these different types of depression and S.A.D. is the fact that they have no correlation to the weather patterns or seasonal changes while S.A.D. does.
So, if you’re reading this and thinking you might be dealing with seasonal depression (or any other type of depression), I would highly recommend speaking to someone right away. There are many ways to treat S.A.D, such as light therapy, medication and counseling. There are also many methods of self-help that many individuals find effective. Light therapy has been proven to be effective for people experiencing S.A.D. and involves using a light-therapy-box that mimics outdoor light. These can be bought over the counter, or your doctor may recommend a specific light box depending on your situation and symptoms. However, if buying a light-therapy-box or paying for counseling or therapy is too expensive, there are some self-help ways of handling S.A.D. These include: regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, maintaining good sleep habits, staying connected and in touch with friends and family members, and managing stress. A good website to check out for more information on self-help treatments of S.A.D. is the North West CMHA on S.A.D., which explains what seasonal depression is and provides some self-help treatments to try, such as making a habit of taking a noon-hour walk every day or keeping the curtains open during the day.
If you’re a student at UBC’s Vancouver campus, there are counseling services on campus that you can use to get help if you feel like you’re experiencing S.A.D. or any other depressive disorder (more information can be found here). Talking to someone and getting help for your symptoms is the best way to overcome your depression, no matter what form of depression you may be experiencing. If this is the first time you’re experiencing feelings and symptoms of depression, it can be a little scary and overwhelming at first, but there are supports out there for you, whether they’re your friends and family or a counselor or therapist. You’re not alone and you don’t have to fight this battle with depression on your own. It’s important to reach out and seek help and understanding from other people, and to remember that these symptoms are temporary and treatable; you will get through it and you will be okay.
Written By Shelby Rogers
Sources
Hyperlink 1: http://northwestvancouver.cmha.bc.ca/get-informed/mental-health-information/sad
Hyperlink 2: http://students.ubc.ca/livewell/services/counselling-services
Other sources:
https://www.sharecare.com/health/chronic-depression/symptoms-chronic-depression-dysthymia-last
http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/chronic-depression-dysthymia?page=2