What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
- connorpwalker
- Oct 13
- 2 min read
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depressive disorder that many people struggle with. Most commonly, it is an increase in depressive symptoms in the autumn or winter. As nights start to get longer, the weather gets cloudier, and there is less bright weather, people can struggle to manage these symptoms. This is the type of SAD I will be referring to.
The pattern of low mood is one of the most important aspects of identifying if something is SAD. Then you can start to think about what to do in order to help yourself manage the symptoms.
SAD affects most people from November to February. Knowing that you're in a pattern similar to this can mean that you can get ahead of it and start to take steps to manage your struggle. SAD is not a specific set of dates, for example, if you struggle around the Christmas period specifically, this is unlikely to be seen as SAD. An important part of SAD is its link to Vitamin D, which is why we see it as seasonal as opposed to date based.
Other forms of SAD are not as well known. The first of which is a summer pattern SAD, and then there is the milder s-SAD. These will present differently.
SAD Symptoms (Most common, especially for winter patterns.)
Loss of energy and motivation.
Low mood.
Changing sleep pattern.
Changing appetite.
Social withdrawal.
These are just a few of the struggles that people with a diagnosis of SAD may face. However, a diagnosis is not needed to start making changes. If your mood seems to fluctuate with the seasons, you may benefit from some of the things that work for people with SAD.
A more comprehensive list can be found here. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder
Who is most at risk?
Typically, women are more likely to experience SAD when compared to men.
People who get less access to sunlight, e.g., Shift workers.
Younger people are typically more affected.
There may be a genetic factor.
People who live in places with steep seasonal changes.
SAD can also be present with several other depressive disorders, which can mask it.
What can you do?
If you are worried, then always seek professional help, especially if you're concerned you wouldn't be able to keep yourself safe.
Light Exposure Treatment.
Increasing Vitamin D.
Counselling/Therapy.
Getting medication (Contact your GP).
Trying to stay active socially and physically.
When considering what to do to manage this as a struggle always speak to a professional. Each of these things have been found to be successful; however, that is when they are done right, and they experience the best results when used together.
This is a very brief overview. If you need more information, here are some things that may be of interest to you.
References and Resources
Melrose, S. (2015). Seasonal affective disorder: an overview of assessment and treatment approaches. Depression research and treatment, 2015(1), 178564.
Fellinger, M., Waldhoer, T., Serretti, A., Hinterbuchinger, B., Pruckner, N., Koenig, D., & Fugger, G. (2022). Seasonality in major depressive disorder: effect of sex and age. Journal of affective disorders, 296, 111-116.
Magnusson, A., & Boivin, D. (2003). Seasonal affective disorder: an overview. Chronobiology international, 20(2), 189-207.
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