Autumn sunset over the river Po, Italy
I am back to work after the New Year break seeing a group of people that nearly always come and see me at this time of year feeling a bit fed up, blaming it on the dull winter. I’m sure that I am not the only family doctor who sees patients like this.
For many people winter can be particularly challenging and some people who present with a fed-up winter feeling may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, often referred to as SAD. if you think that you are suffering from this do not suffer in silence. Seek help.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) ?
Seasonal Affective Disorder is when a person experiences episodes of depression or low mood that happen seasonally, most commonly during autumn or winter, and get better in the spring.
Seasonal Affective Disorder affects between 1.5% to 9% of the US population depending on the latitude that you live on and has a lot in common with depression. The main symptoms are exactly the same. The only difference is that these symptoms always happen in autumn or winter and get better by spring.
The main symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder are
- Low mood
- A general loss of interest and enjoyment
- Feeling easily tired
Other symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder could include:
- Reduced concentration and attention
- Reduced self-esteem and self-confidence
- Poor sleep or oversleeping
- Poor appetite or overeating
- Decreased interest in sex
- Being less sociable
You may even find yourself craving for chocolate and foods with high carbohydrate like bread or sugary foods.
Help is at hand
The treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder is similar to that offered for other types of depression, so please do not suffer in silence because your family doctor is likely to be able to help.
Things that you can do to help yourself include:
- Getting as much sunlight as possible by going out for a daily walk
- Regular daily exercise
- Reminding yourself that spring will soon come and relieve you of your symptoms
Telling family members, friends and colleagues that you have Seasonal Affective Disorder is also likely to be helpful because they will then be more understanding.
Light therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder
Many people have used light therapy in Seasonal Affective Disorder to make up for the lack of winter sunshine, in order to make themselves feel better.
If you decide to use light therapy remember that you must buy a light source that does not produce ultraviolet rays because these can damage your skin and eyes.
Can light therapy prevent the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder?
One of the questions that people are asking is whether using light therapy can be used to prevent the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder and break the cycle of recurrent winter depression.
The answer at the moment is that the research studies that have been carried out so far are limited because they have not included enough people to be able to draw a firm conclusion about this.
If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder and would like to try light therapy to try and prevent the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder you should speak to your doctor because it may well be helpful for you.
Medication
If your Seasonal Affective Disorder requires treatment with antidepressants it is recommended that you start the antidepressant medication in autumn and stop it in the spring.
Psychological therapy
A range of psychological therapies are useful in Seasonal Affective Disorder just as they are in depression, including Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
Psychological therapies are aimed at helping you to manage your symptoms however, as with light therapy, there is a need to do more research to see if engaging with these can actually break the cycle of annual winter relapse.
Remember – there is light at the end of the winter tunnel – spring is approaching.
If you regularly get a fed-up winter feeling don’t suffer in silence, consider getting help from your physician and there are also many self-help groups that may be of use to you. I am also looking forward to the first daffodils of Spring and hopefully will share some photographs with you then
References
1. Forneris CA, Nussbaumer B, Kaminski_Hartenthaler A et al. Psychological therapies for preventing seasonal affective disorder (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 11,. Art.No:CD011270
2. RCPsych Leaflet. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/seasonalaffectivedisorder.aspx
Professor Gabriel Ivbijaro MBE JP
President World Federation for Mental Health (www.wfmh.org)
Chair The World Dignity Project (www.worlddignityproject.com)
Medical Director, The Wood Street Medical Centre, 6 Linford Road, Walthamstow, London E17 3LA, UK
Twitter@IvbijaroGabriel facebook.com/IvbijaroGabriel
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