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Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as seasonal depression, is a mood disorder in which a person feels depressed due to seasonal changes. Usually, it begins in fall or winter and ends during the spring months. A milder form of SAD is known as winter blues, which also affects many people. Some people often have a rare form of this ailment, 'summer depression,' which starts in the late spring or early summer months and finishes with the arrival of fall.

The episodes usually occur at the same time every year in patients who might start feeling the general signs of depression due to the change in seasons. This mood disorder can be treated with different interventions. Counselling and medications can both help with managing the symptoms. If you think you have this depression, an online therapy session can help you ascertain the condition as well as help with the treatment.

Major Causes

The exact causes are unknown, but some factors play a crucial role. Those factors are discussed below:

• Circadian Rhythm — The winter-onset SAD starts with the reduced level of sunlight in the fall and winter seasons. The decrease in the sunlight disrupts the body's internal clock, leading to feelings of depression.
• Melatonin levels — Changing seasons also disturb the balance of melatonin in the body, due to which your sleep patterns change, leading to disturbances in the mood.
• Serotonin levels — Serotonin is a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects an individual's mood. Reduced sunlight causes a drop in the levels of serotonin in the body, which again causes depression.

Common Signs

As mentioned earlier, there are two major types of seasonal depression. The summer variant is rare but exists in some people. Here we will discuss the disorder's characteristics and then separate ones for the winter and summer variations.

Generally, the indicators are as follows:

• Loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable
• Feeling sad, down or clueless the whole day, almost every day
• Having sleeping problems
• Having low energy and feeling sluggish
• High carbohydrate cravings and overeating
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Feeling worthless, guilty, or hopeless
• Suicidal thoughts and behaviours

Fall and winter symptoms:

• Weight gain
• Low energy levels
• Feeling of tiredness
• Oversleeping
• Change in appetite, especially high carbohydrate cravings

Spring and summer symptoms:

• Insomnia (trouble sleeping)
• Poor appetite
• Anxiety or agitation
• Weight loss
• Increased irritability

Some of the indicators of winter and summer depression are different. Yet, these are all related to the condition and need proper care and treatment.

Risk Factors

It is mainly seen that this condition occurs more in women than men, and it has also been found to affect young adults more than older adults. Apart from these aspects, there are other risk factors as well, which increase the likelihood of someone having the illness. They are discussed below:

• Having bipolar disorder or major depression — Signs of depression may increase substantially with seasonal changes if you already have the markers of major depression. People having bipolar disorder are also likely to have SAD.
• Family history — People who are diagnosed with this ailment most likely also have a family member or a blood relative with the condition or major depression
• Living far away from the equator — People residing in outlying areas, close to the North or South poles, are more likely to have this illness. That is because of the decreased sunlight in winters and the long days of the summer months
• Low levels of vitamin D- Low levels of vitamin D may cause depression. Generally, vitamin D is available through the sunlight as the skin produces some of the vitamins in sunlight, but when there is no or much less sunlight, a deficiency of vitamin D may occur if it is not being taken through other sources, such as food.

How to Deal With Your Symptoms

Treatment for this condition can be done through light therapy, medications, and psychotherapy. Another critical thing to note here is that if someone has bipolar disorder, they need to mention it to their mental health care provider. That is because some antidepressants and light therapy can potentially trigger a manic episode.

This remedy is mainly used to handle indicators of winter depression.

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, is used to treat SAD. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is psychotherapy that is primarily used in remedies. In CBT, the counsellor helps you learn healthy ways to cope with the symptoms. An expert makes you identify the negative thought patterns and change them into positive ones by making you adopt healthy behaviours such as exercising and improving your sleeping patterns.

When the markers get severe, medications are also given to patients to reduce them. The extended-release version of the antidepressant bupropion (Wellbutrin XL, Aplenzin) is used to deal with the depressive episodes of this disorder. The mental health care provider may ask you to take medicine before the onset of the condition and continue to take the treatment beyond the end of the season if your signs have been severe.

Besides psychological interventions, lifestyle changes can also help deal with the indicators. Being out in the sun or letting sunlight enter your home by opening the blinds, you can let the natural light help manage some depression signs. When you exercise regularly, anxiety and stress are relieved, which helps reduce the symptoms. One also needs to take care of their sleeping patterns. You must get into the habit of falling asleep and waking up at a scheduled time. You may also be suggested to avoid napping or oversleeping if you have winter depression.

Is Light Therapy Right For Me?

Light therapy, also known as phototherapy, makes you sit a few feet away from a special light box. Doing so exposes you to bright light within the first hour of waking up. This mimics natural light and helps change the brain chemicals linked to mood.

This is one of the first options for winter-onset SAD, and it starts working within a few days to weeks to relieve the symptoms.

Talk to your therapist before purchasing a light box to know its effectiveness for your case and how to use it best.

Get Treatment From a Licensed Therapist Who’s Right For You

At DocVita, we have a team of qualified and experienced therapists and psychiatrists who can give you the right cure in terms of psychotherapy and medications. Note that a psychiatrist only will be able to prescribe medications. So, if your doctor says that you need medicines, kindly check the same with a psychiatrist.

The mental health experts at DocVita are available for many slots, which can be booked according to your needs and budget options.

Schedule a Virtual Psychotherapy Appointment with a Counsellor Today

If you or any of your loved ones suffer from the same kind of signs each year, then you can start your diagnosis and treatment by taking a consultation with a counsellor.

Schedule an appointment with a counsellor to take a virtual psychotherapy session. We give you the best guidance on the platform when it comes to choosing which mental health care expert is best for you. This is done by asking specific and simple questions about your condition. This way, you can be sure that you are receiving the best care available.