SAD – seasonal affective disorder

 Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a kind of depression that follows the seasons. The most common type of SAD is called winter depression. It usually begins in late fall or early winter -as days shorten from November into December, there's a gradual slowing down, a low of energy, a need for more and more sleep, a longing to lie undisturbed in bed - and goes away by summer.

Do many people get SAD?

About 4 to 6 percent of people may have winter depression. Another 10 to 20 percent may have mild SAD. SAD is four times more common in women than in men. Although some children and teenagers get SAD, it usually doesn't start in people younger than age 20. Your chance of getting SAD goes down as you get older.

How does I know that I have SAD?

Not everyone with SAD has the same symptoms, but common symptoms of winter depression include the following:

Ø      A change in appetite, especially a craving for sweet or starchy foods

Ø      Weight gain

Ø      A heavy feeling in the arms or legs

Ø      A drop in energy level

Ø      Fatigue

Ø      A tendency to oversleep

Ø      Difficulty concentrating

Ø      Irritability

Ø      Increased sensitivity to social rejection

Ø      Avoidance of social situations--not wanting to go out

 

Is there a treatment for SAD?

Yes. Winter depression is probably caused by a lack of sunlight. So, light therapy is able  to treat winter depression. SAD is also more common the farther north you go.

For example, it's seven times more common in Washington state than in Florida...

Since 1978 researchers and scientists world wide have documented the successful use of bright light therapy as a significant antidepressant. According to the Dec 8th, 1993 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, for many patients with S.A.D., light therapy should be regarded as first-line treatment. Light therapy is endorsed by the American Psychiatric Assoc. and the National Institute of Mental Health.

The one fact that proves that this is true is asking ourselves:

What is the one thing in our life that is missing? We spend so much time indoors, not only in the winter when the days are shorter, but when we work all the time. Sunlight is what we are missing and light that simulates those brilliant life giving wave lengths will be much more effective in treating seasonal depression than any other source or color of light.

 

Wavelengths of blue light had the highest potency in causing changes in melatonin levels.

The specific wavelengths of blue light, 446-477nm, that are crucial in suppressing melatonin production in humans. Suppressing melatonin production raises the levels of serotonin in our brains. This is the key goal of all therapeutic light treatment.