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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

If you’re feeling down during the cold weather months, you might just have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The reduced level of sunlight in the fall and winter might disrupt your body’s internal clock and cause feelings of depression.
 
Symptoms of SAD
The signs and symptoms of SAD include many of those associated with major depression, such as:
  • Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
  • Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
  • Experiencing changes in appetite or weight
  • Having problems with sleep
  • Feeling sluggish or agitated
  • Having low energy
  • Feeling hopeless or worthless​
  • Having difficulty concentrating
  • Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide
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​For those with winter SAD, additional symptoms might include:
  • Oversleeping
  • Overeating, particularly with a craving for carbohydrates
  • Weight gain
  • Social withdrawal (you feel like hibernating)

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​How to Get Help
If you think you might be suffering from SAD, talk to your health care provider or a mental health specialist about your concerns. If you or someone you know is in immediate distress or is thinking about self-harm, call the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County (MHARS) Crisis Hotline at 1-800-888-6161. Or contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll-free at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You also can text the Crisis Text Line (HELLO to 741741) or use the Lifeline Chat on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website.

How Is SAD Treated?
​
Treatments are available that can help many people with SAD. They fall into four main categories that may be used alone or in combination:
  • Light therapy
  • Psychotherapy
  • Antidepressant medications
  • Vitamin D 
Sweden, for instance, experiences only five and half hours of sunlight in the depths of winter. There, light-therapy clinics are widely available. An individual sits in front of a bright light box (10,000 lux) every day for about 30 to 45 minutes from fall to spring.  

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Sources for this article include the National Institute of Mental Health and The Mayo Clinic.

THRIVE Southern Lorain County
Telephone: 440-987-9182
Email: thriveloraincounty@gmail.com
​Facebook: www.facebook.com/thrivesoloco
​
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Partners and Staff
  • Healthy Eating
    • Safe Grilling
    • Growing Nutrition
    • Be Food Safe!
    • Recipes
    • Food Pantries, Community Meals & Food Delivery
  • Get Active
    • WHERE TO WALK
    • Kids' Online Workouts
    • Know Your Local Parks!
    • Adults' & Seniors' Online Workouts
  • Social/Emotional Support
    • The MAD* Factory Improv Comedy Classes
    • Drug Emojis Decoded
    • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
    • Signs and Symptoms of Dementia
    • LIFT YOUR SPIRITS
  • News & Event Calendar
    • News
    • Calendar
  • Our Impact
  • PODCASTS & VIDEOS
  • Pickleball in Wellington!
    • HEALTHY FOR ALL AGES!
    • Pickleball 101
    • Terms You Need to Know
    • Assessment Form