Feeling SAD: An Introduction to Seasonal Affective Disorder By: Rayna Moiz

The fall and winter months, despite lovely color changes and crisp air, always bring the highest levels of annual depression. Most people dread the inevitable ‘winter blues’, but others feel the seasons’ effects on an entirely different scale. About 5% of Americans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), where one’s mood is affected by the weather of the seasons.

While summer-pattern SAD does exist, the winter-pattern is more common. Researchers theorize that winter-pattern SAD is brought on by the season’s lack of sunlight. Vitamin D from the Sun prompts the brain to produce serotonin, a hormone associated with improving one’s mood. As such, the Sun’s reduced presence in winter results in lower serotonin levels. 

Additionally, those with SAD produce an excess of melatonin, a hormone which regulates the sleep cycle. An imbalance of these two hormones results in the inability to adjust one’s sleep cycle to shorter, winter days. For those with SAD, this often shows through symptoms like low energy, oversleeping, and extended periods of listlessness. Other prominent SAD symptoms include lack of interest in activities, isolation, increased sensitivity and heightened anxiety. These depressive episodes occur at the same time every year and subside by the time spring rolls around.

SAD is most commonly diagnosed among teens, as the adolescent brain is still developing and is subsequently more sensitive to hormone changes. The disorder occurs more in females than in males, as estrogen production decreases in the absence of Vitamin D. Fluctuating levels of the hormone during winter can interrupt the female circadian rhythm and reduce serotonin levels, causing disrupted sleep patterns and depression.

One’s likelihood of developing SAD also depends on location and genetics. The disorder is more frequent within Northern populations, where winter days are shorter and darker. Additionally, the disorder is hereditary; if you have a family history of the illness or other general depressive disorders, you are at higher risk for SAD.

While there is no cure, there have been many treatments developed to mitigate the effects of SAD. All of these remedies seek to increase the low serotonin levels in patients, the root cause of the disorder. In severe cases, treatment includes phototherapy, where patients are exposed to a light box to stimulate serotonin production. Therapy, Vitamin D supplements, and antidepressants are also recommended for those with SAD. While SAD is a disorder which eventually corrects itself, it’s advisable to take the above precautions to better prepare for the winter months. If so, your mental health will remain strong and, despite what the acronym may suggest, you won’t feel so sad.