What one should know about SAD?

Do you begin to feel low with the onset of winter every year? If yes, you might be suffering from a type of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Often brushed off as winter blues, this set of feelings is actually termed Winter Affective Disorder, and is a type of SAD.

Symptoms: If you are feeling sad or low all day, losing interest in activities you once enjoyed, experiencing difficulty in concentrating, overeating and gaining weight, experiencing changes in appetite with craving for high-carb food items, oversleeping and continuously feeling tired; it’s a giveaway of Winter Affective Disorder.

Cause: Concrete reasons for Winter Affective Disorder aren’t known but it could be an effect of disruption in the body’s biological clock due to reduced sunlight in winter. The reduced sunlight also leads to fall in the serotonin levels in blood, which makes one feel low or depressed. People who have a genetic history of the disorder are more likely to suffer from it.

Deficiency: People who have a deficiency of Vitamin D in their diets are affected more.

Severity: If left unchecked, it may lead to serious complications, from withdrawal from social life and continuous fall in productivity to even turning to substance abuse as an escape mechanism. It can be severe enough to cause crying spells, negative feelings and even suicidal thoughts.

Treatment: It’s a very common disorder and can be easily treated if the diagnosis is made at the right time. Making appropriate changes such as including regular exercise in one’s routine and switching to a balanced diet act as a preventive mechanism.