Your Family Will Thank You For Having This Seasonal Depression Symptoms
Seasonal Depression Symptoms
Similar to other forms of depression, those with SAD may experience sadness or lack of enthusiasm for everyday activities. They may lose interest in family and friends, sleep more, or have difficulty getting up. They also have a craving for carbohydrates, which gives the body instant energy.
Less sunlight in fall and winter can affect the brain pathways that help regulate mood. Some people experience mild common symptoms of depression, whereas others have symptoms serious enough to interfere with relationships and work.
Treatment
The good news is that treatment options are readily available. Light therapy, psychotherapy, and medication can help sufferers with SAD. They can also make small adjustments that can ease their symptoms and improve their mood.
SAD can be either severe or mild. It can affect someone's concentration and energy level as well as appetite. Some people with SAD may feel irritable or angry more frequently. They may also experience difficulty in concentrating or making decisions. Certain people with SAD are unable to sleep well, which can lead to fatigue during the daytime. The changing seasons can cause symptoms of SAD. The shorter hours of daylight during fall and winter may affect a person’s biological rhythms. It can decrease serotonin levels and increase the level of melatonin. This could cause depression or increase sleepiness.
People with SAD frequently complain of feeling sad or depressed at certain times of the year. They usually have these symptoms during winter or autumn months and are more comfortable in spring. They can also experience episodes of elation or feeling awestruck in the summer. People suffering from SAD may experience more episodes of depression than other people. SAD can be confused with other mood disorders. It is crucial to obtain an medical diagnosis.
CBT (Cognitive behavioral indicators of depression therapy) is a highly effective treatment option for SAD. CBT is a form of psychotherapy that teaches people how to challenge and alter unhelpful thinking. CBT for SAD focuses primarily on changing negative thoughts about the season to more helpful ones. It helps people find enjoyable activities to offset their loss of interest in winter or summer.
It's not clear how effective herbal remedies or supplements are for SAD. Many herbal remedies and dietary supplements don't have the same level of control as prescription drugs. They can cause serious problems when they interact with prescription drugs. Consult your doctor before taking any herbal or dietary supplements.
Medication
The symptoms of seasonal depression are more serious than the occasional "winter blues." Your GP can identify and treat these symptoms when you experience them each year at the same time. Treatment options include psychotherapy, light therapy and medication.
The winter-pattern SAD is characterized by depressive episodes that happen each year during the winter and fall seasons. These episodes are often caused by fatigue, an increased appetite and a desire for food that is starchy as well as sleep disturbances and weight increase. These symptoms can cause you to feel hopeless, despair and even suicidal in severe instances.
In addition to antidepressants, certain people suffering from SAD benefit from taking a dopamine-inhibitor like bupropion. This medication helps balance your serotonin levels and dopamine levels, which can reduce the likelihood of becoming unmotivated and irritable. This is a relatively new type of antidepressant that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of SAD.
Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you, based on your symptoms and severity. They may recommend that you begin antidepressants prior to when seasonal symptoms usually start every year, and keep taking them until spring. They may also suggest that you use an artificial light source or a light box to simulate sunlight, which can encourage serotonin to release.
It is important to know that, even though many people suffering from SAD suffer from a deficiency of vitamin D, there is no evidence to suggest this as a cause for the disease. You can improve your health by consuming an appropriate diet and spending enough time outdoors in the sunshine.
SAD can be a very difficult condition and the symptoms may seem to persist for a long time. It is essential to understand that there are many solutions for this condition. With the assistance of your GP you can conquer symptoms and return to regular life. For more information on seasonal affective disorder and other mental health conditions, visit the Health Matters blog(link opens in a new window) at NewYork-Presbyterian.
Cognitive behavior therapy
SAD is a type of depression that occurs in the winter and fall seasons, and improves during the spring and the summer. It is caused by changes in the amount of sunlight and biological clocks that can disrupt sleep, eating and mood. Antidepressants, light therapy and cognitive symptoms of depression behavioral therapy can ease symptoms of seasonal depression.
Researchers aren't sure what causes SAD. They believe that less sunlight triggers a chemical change in the brain, which leads to depression. People suffering from SAD are more likely to have other mental health conditions, including major depression and bipolar disorder. They could also be at risk due to family history, like relatives with schizophrenia or depression.
People suffering from winter-pattern SAD generally have lower levels of the chemical in the brain called serotonin, which regulates mood. The low levels of this chemical can result in problems sleeping and thinking clearly, as well as feeling sad. People who suffer from summer-pattern SAD may have lower levels of melatonin which can alter sleeping patterns and trigger feelings of depression.
SAD symptoms include low energy, sadness as well as difficulty concentrating and a decrease in interest in the activities you usually enjoy. You might cut off contact with your friends and family during the cold, dark winter months or lose weight in order to cope with the negative emotions. You may also begin to feel suicidal or suicidal, which is a major medical emergency that requires immediate attention.
Talk therapy can help SAD sufferers overcome their depression through the change of negative thoughts and behaviors. During sessions, your therapist might ask you questions and help you pay attention to your reactions to difficult situations. Then, you will collaborate to come up with strategies to handle these situations differently.
Psychotherapy is most successful when it's specifically tailored to a particular issue such as SAD. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most promising treatments for SAD. Developed by Aaron Beck, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960s, CBT was an adaptation of Albert Ellis' rational emotive behavior therapy. It focuses on transforming destructive patterns of "emotional reasoning" that lead to depression.
Light therapy
With the changing of the seasons people can feel tired and tired, and depressed. For some, these symptoms are more serious than a typical situation of "winter blues," and may lead to young adult depression symptoms - resources -, which is known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. If you suffer from this condition, a few simple lifestyle changes and the help of psychotherapy or medication could alleviate your symptoms and bring your mood to normal.
Bright light therapy, or phototherapy, has been proven to help alleviate symptoms of SAD, as well as other conditions that affect your mood. Utilizing an e-lamp or full-spectrum lighting in the early morning hours can help alleviate your symptoms. Light therapy boosts serotonin production, which is a natural chemical which boosts your mood. It can also prevent a drop in your circadian clock, the internal clock of your body that regulates sleep cycles.
The most effective results for SAD are obtained by using a special device that emits 10,000 lux of bright white light, about the same brightness as being outside on a clear day in July. Your doctor will suggest you sit or stand in the front of the device every day for 30 minutes or more starting in the early hours of the morning, every day of the week.
If you are suffering from headaches or eye strain, you can adjust the intensity and distance between the light source and you. Make sure you use a light box that has an anti-radiation filter that blocks harmful ultraviolet rays. These radiations can cause damage to your eyes and skin. You can purchase a light box from your doctor or locate one on the Internet however, make sure it's medically approved for treatment of SAD.
It is important to inform your healthcare professional that you suffer from bipolar disorder or any other mental health condition, because in some people bright light therapy or antidepressants can cause a manic episode. These risks can be mitigated by using these treatments with the guidance of a medical professional.
