Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder (or SAD) is a type of winter depression in which light therapies are often used.
It is usual for the sufferer to experience normal mood for the rest of the year but to hit a depressive period during the winter. People that suffer depression during the summer only are often said to be suffering from reverse seasonal affective disorder.
SAD is thought to be linked to the amount of light in a person's environment. This theory is backed up by the high level of success using light therapies and also by the very high number of sufferers living in the artic regions, where entire days can go by without any light. This is especially seen in Finland where a fairly high percentage of the population are SAD sufferers.
SAD is a serious health condition as with any other form of depression and can mean a period as an inpatient for some people. There can be a suicide risk with some patients depending on symptoms experienced and the presence of suicidal ideation. This may be passive or the sufferer may have active intent. Other symptoms of depression include a lack of motivation, energy and loss of sexual drive. There have been many theories around the causes of SAD but one of these is that sufferers have a lack of serotonin in their bodies.
There are various forms of light therapy that have been used to treat people with this condition as well as medication such as antidepressants. Some medications that have proved affective include Fluoxetine, Sertraline or Paroxetine. A combination of antidepressant and light therapy has been shown to be affective in reducing the symptoms of SAD in over 60% of patients.
In Scandinavia over 20% of the population are sufferers and doctors have suggested that there is a genetic link predisposing people to the condition. Studies in Iceland have also suggested a genetic link due to the very high number of sufferers and this has even been found with Icelandic people not living in Iceland.
