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Winter Depression

Fall and winter seasons are depressive for some people. The depression symptoms sometimes come all at once and sometimes appear slowly. These symptoms often dissolve when spring arrives and stay in reduction through summer months. The winter depression symptoms are very closely related to seasonal coolness than can be given the term Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This term “SAD” describes a kind of depression that occurs in winter months. This kind of mood swing is usually associated with the lack of light during the winter months of the year.

Like other disorder SAD is also a disorder related to our mood so it requires diagnosis and may require remedy treatment. You can figure it out with noticing an obvious, persistent low swing of your mood when weather starts getting cooler and daylight lessens. If this is so then you should go for a psychiatrist’s consultation or advice of any other health professional.

Cause of winter depression
SAD is associated to a biochemical imbalance in the brain that occurs due to shortening of daylight hours and a lack of sunlight in winter. For the people who suffer from SAD the tough months are January and February. The younger persons are more at risk than the older ones.
This is also observed in some cases that the persons who live near to the equator are less likely to develop SAD and the people living farther are more likely to develop SAD.

In some cases this is also studied that the apparent relationship to the season is simply because of problems and stress factors they confront at that specific time of the year. In the result these people suffer from illness and it seem to be little different from any depressive illness that is occurred from that stressful event.

Where a regular sudden event does not happen, the cause remains unknown. It is possibly related to lessoning in natural light  and the lower temperatures  in the winter months  but  this is uncertain and  there  is no  good evidence  for  it  being more  common in very northern countries  where the winter hours of daylight are much shorter. 

In this situation it is suggested that the brain chemical (melatonin) may also be involved. The excretion of Melatonin is influenced by exposure to light and can cast many effects on various activities of the body, but till now this research has many loopholes.
 
Rate of Winter Depression
The exact rate of the people suffering from SAD is not exactly known but it is assumed that between 10 and 20 percent of the U.S population may suffer from mild symptoms associated with this kind of disorder. Women are more at risk then men and are effected more; about 70-80% of effected are women.

Symptoms of Winter Depression
The symptoms of winter depression include:

• too much sleeping
• hard to stay awake
• excessive and overeating
• putting up weight during the fall or winter months
• feelings of severe fatigue
• unable to maintain routine lifestyle schedule
• depression regarding sadness combined with irritability
• being deficient in having interest in social interactions
• losing interest in the different job activities in employment
• Decrease in symptoms in spring and summer months

The basic symptom of SAD is directly associated with depression, more urge to sleep, a desire to have sweets and weight gain. Symptoms begin in the fall, hit the highest point in winter and usually resolve in spring.

The high-flying symptoms are:

• Light usually plays an important role in the treatment of winter depression problem.
• Bad and low mood starting in autumn or winter.
• Feeling a bit week or lack of energy.
• Getting irritate.
• Having desire to have carbohydrate food.
• Daytime sleeping

Recommended therapies for Winter Depression

The people who are suffering from SAD can benefit their selves by getting extensive quantity of sunlight. They can have the maximum exposure to the sun by having a along walk outside and also by making the interior arraignment of home or office in such a manner that you are exposed to the window during the daytime. In many cases when in which persons are suffering more with this situation light therapy (phototherapy) is proved to be a best option. This kind of therapy involves exposure to light normally in winter season when sunlight is not available fluorescent lamps are used for a few hours daily. Also with psychotherapy session additional relief is also noticed and in some cases antidepressants may be advised.

Daily exercise is very much helpful; especially it is worth doing outdoors. For those people who desire to have sweets in food during winter, having a balanced diet is recommended. And so as the mood improves the desire for sweets may decrease.

Psychotherapy can help the depressed person to put light at his negative expectations and depressive assumptions. This therapy helps the one to identify the complexities of his/her interpersonal relations so that they can be avoided in future. Experience has shown that psychotherapy is faster reliever then other therapies.

When treatment is necessary it may include:

• Use of antidepressant medicines.

• Use of psychological therapy.

• Use of bright light therapy.

To have bright light there are special lamps and light boxes sufferer should have one of them to have the strong source of light.

Light boxes are made of Bright Spark (5000 lux box) and Philips (HF305 Bright Light Energy light bath 10,000 lux). This can be bought from any Boots store. There is also an important thing to not that if you provide them a signed statement which confirms that you have SAD then you will not be required to pay VAT. And if you reside in London, you can use Philips light baths simply by visiting the Bright Light Café at Konditor & Cook, 66 The Cut, Waterloo, London, SE1.

Similar Symptoms
Symptoms alike the symptoms of SAD can be confused with other medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism or infections like mononucleosis, so the proper examination and diagnostics by a medical professional is a must.

Time to Visit your Doctor

Depression Types

Normal Depressed Mood

Dysthymic Disorder (or Mild Depression)

Major Depression

Cyclothymic Disorder

Unipolar and Bipolar Depression

Bipolar Disorder (or Manic Depression)

• Hypomania
• Bipolar Disorder Treatment

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Psychotic Depression

Atypical Depression

Post Partum Depression

Endogenous Depression

Bone Marrow Depression

Winter Depression

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