SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

NAMI McHenry County

Definition - this illness has to do with a person's reaction to the amount of light a person receives. Symptoms of depression - low energy, fatigue, overeating may appear when the days begin to get shorter and there is less sunlight. People who have Seasonal Affective Disorder may produce an excess of the hormone melatonin, which is related to the body's sleep cycle and biological clock.

Many people feel mildly "depressed" during the winter, but some people have more severe bouts of feeling down all the time, low energy, problems with sleep and appetite, and reduced concentration to the point where they have difficulty functioning at work or in the home. We say that these people have a clinical depression , to distinguish it from everyday ups and downs. Seasonal affective disorder (affective is a psychiatric term for mood), or SAD, describes people who have these clinical depressions only during the autumn and winter seasons. During the spring and summer, they feel well and "normal".

The common symptoms of SAD include:

Extreme fatigue and lack of energy, increased need for sleep; sleeping much more than usual,carbohydrate craving, increased appetite, and weight gain.