Yusif Kanan 

With the holiday season approaching, many people would expect this to be a time of pure joy. But that isn’t always the case. Seasonal depression can affect anyone, and to be able to fully enjoy the season, you must be able to understand and combat it.

John Hopkins Medicine defines seasonal depression, also fittingly known as seasonal affective disorder or SAD, as “a type of depression that happens during certain seasons of the year, most often fall or winter. It is thought that shorter days and less sunlight may set off a chemical change in the brain leading to the symptoms of depression.” According to John Hopkins, it is most common in women over the age of twenty

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the symptoms of SAD can include “Persistent sad, anxious or “empty” mood most of the day, nearly every day, for at least 2 weeks.” It also includes feelings of hopelessness, irritability, guilt, worthlessness, and thoughts of suicide. It is worth noting that SAD should not be confused with the “holiday blues” which is just a general feeling of sadness associated with the stress of the holiday time of year.

SAD is treated in a variety of ways. Some doctors prescribe their patients light therapy, which includes sitting in front of a very bright light box for about 30-45 minutes every day from fall to spring. The NIMH says that “light therapy has been a mainstay for treating winter-pattern SAD, aiming to expose people with SAD to a bright light to make up for the diminished natural sunlight in darker months.” It’s important to note that, according to the Mayo Clinic, the light box required must provide 10,000 lux of light, and that you’re required to sit in front of it within the first hour of waking up every day. It is also worth considering that you can buy light boxes without a prescription, so it is important to do the research about what you’re purchasing beforehand. 

Another prescribed treatment is psychotherapy. This entails therapy or counseling and aims to help people with SAD. It implements new thinking patterns and changes certain behavioral habits through cognitive behavioral therapy.  According to NIMH, “When researchers compared CBT with light therapy, both treatments were equally effective in improving SAD-symptoms, although some symptoms got better slightly faster with light therapy than CBT. However, a long-term study that followed SAD patients for two winters found that the positive effects of CBT seemed to last longer.” Essentially, they are both effective methods of treating this disorder.

Millions of Americans are thought to suffer of SAD without ever knowing it, so this winter season if you feel yourself experiencing any symptoms listed, make sure you don’t let it go unchecked.