{"id":2681,"date":"2022-07-18T06:06:27","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T06:06:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/minyangmaomd.com\/?page_id=2681"},"modified":"2022-07-20T19:27:28","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T19:27:28","slug":"seasonal-affective-disorder","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/minyangmaomd.com\/?page_id=2681","title":{"rendered":"Seasonal Affective Disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Seasonal<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It’s that time of the year again when sunlight hours get short and Seasonal Affective Disorder starts to rear its ugly head. I hope this article will be timely and helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a mood disorder related to the shortening of sunlight hours during winter. It is more common in northern latitudes, in Finland for example. It is difficult to have an accurate estimate of actual prevalence in the U.S., but estimates range from 0 to 9.7%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms of SAD are the same as those of depression, with the main symptom of depressed mood, plus additional common symptoms as described by the mnemonic SIGECAPS:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S: Sleep (decreased or increased)
I: Interest (decreased, also known as anhedonia)
G: Guilt (feeling worthless, hopeless, helpless)
E: Energy (decreased)
C: Concentration (decreased)
A: Appetite (decreased or increased)
P: Psychomotor retardation or activation (feeling slowed or feeling restless)
S: Suicidal thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unique aspect of SAD versus non-seasonal depression is that SAD regularly appears in the fall or winter, and SAD tends to disappear during spring and summer months, whereas non-seasonal depression has no correlation to the changing of seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diagnosis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is not currently a distinct diagnosis of “Seasonal Affective Disorder” in the DSM-IV. Psychiatrists diagnose SAD by adding a “Seasonal Pattern Specifier” to a Major Depressive Episode that appears as part of Major Depressive Disorder or Bipolar Type I or Type II Disorder. As with most mood disorders, SAD is diagnosed clinically, based on history. There is no blood test or imaging test that is diagnostic for SAD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatment can involve psychotherapy, medications, light therapy, or combined treatment, depending on patient preference and severity of symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n