Mental Health Monday
Living in Minnesota for 23 years, I know how depressing winter can be. My mom used to make me sit in front of a light therapy box, to try to help my winter blahs. For some, winter can cause depression, fatigue, lethargy, and more. This is commonly referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I thought I would enlighten you all a little about this disorder. There are actually two types of SAD; winter and summer (winter being far more common), here are the symptoms.
Fall and winter SAD (winter depression)Symptoms of winter-onset seasonal affective disorder include:
-Depression
-Hopelessness
-Anxiety
-Loss of energy
-Social withdrawal
-Oversleeping
-Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
-Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
-Weight gain
-Difficulty concentrating and processing information
Spring and summer SAD (summer depression)Symptoms of summer-onset seasonal affective disorder include:
-Anxiety
-Insomnia
-Irritability
-Agitation
-Weight loss
-Poor appetite
-Increased sex drive
SAD is very treatable, with light therapy, and medication. Many people go untreated though, since they brush it off as the winter blahs. Think your SAD? Click here to read more.
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Great post. I have winter SAD, I didn't know that there was a summer one. I like the last 3 symptoms of summer SAD. Too bad we can't pick and choose huh? ;)
ReplyDeleteI know I didn't know there was summer SAD either, it does sound much more desirable than winter SAD.
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