Time And Season Change Can Trigger A Fall Into The 'Winter Blues' For Some

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Depression
Article Date: 19 Aug 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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Setting the clocks back for daylight savings time means an extra hour of sleep and shorter days for most people, but for the thousands who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the shorter days and absence of daylight can actually cause depression.

Also known as the "Winter Blues," SAD is primarily diagnosed in adults with roughly 60 to 90 percent of the diagnoses occurring in women. While the exact cause is unknown, people with a relative who suffers from the disorder are more likely to develop it themselves.

"A SAD diagnosis is usually based on whether the person has been depressed in the winter and recovered in the spring or summer for at least 2 years in a row," says Gary Malone, M.D., psychiatrist on the medical staff at Baylor All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth. "These dramatic mood swings during season changes are what distinguish SAD from other forms of depression."

According to Dr. Malone, many of the symptoms of SAD mirror those of regular nonseasonal depression, but an increase in appetite marked by cravings for carbohydrates, weight gain and excessive sleeping are classic symptoms of SAD. Other symptoms include irritability, sadness, anxiety, decreased activity, drowsiness during the daytime, and problems with work and relationships.

"For people with SAD, these symptoms usually occur at the same time each year beginning in the fall and ending in the spring," adds Dr. Malone.

In addition to antidepressant medication and counseling, the standard treatment for SAD is light therapy which research has shown to be highly effective. It is believed that light therapy helps to reset a person's circadian rhythms, also known as the "biological clock." Patients are usually required to sit in front of a light box that produces artificial light for a designated amount of time in the morning. Another form of light therapy that is gaining popularity is called "dawn stimulation" which involves a low-intensity light timed to turn on at a certain time in the morning before the patient awakes and gradually gets brighter.

"These therapies have been shown to be very effective, but it should be noted that abruptly stopping light therapy can cause a relapse into depression so it is important to follow through with the treatment in its entirety," explains Dr. Malone.

For more information about Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth, visit http://www.BaylorHealth.com.

Baylor Health Care System
2001 Bryan St., Ste. 2200
Dallas, TX 75201
United States
http://www.BaylorHealth.com