Winter Blues: How to Handle Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Winter Blues: How to Handle Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Nearly everyone gets the winter blues at some time or another, but for some, they are actually a serious medical disorder. It is estimated that over 6 percent of Americans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and over 14 percent get the milder form called Subsyndromal Seasonal Affective Disorder (SSAD). Both disorders are more prevalent in the parts of the world closest to the poles, leading researchers to think that down feelings in the wintertime are related to the lack of daylight. Your doctor can help determine whether or not your depression is season-related, but how do you know when your depression is severe enough to warrant a trip to the doctor?

Symptoms of depression include:
• Feelings of sadness, hopelessness and helplessness
• Lack of energy
• Feeling slowed down
• Trouble falling – or staying – asleep
• Changes in appetite and/or weight
• Inability to concentrate or make decisions
• Thoughts of death or suicide
• Loss of interest in people and activities
• Restlessness

If you don’t have severe symptoms of depression but are simply feeling blue this season, there are things you can do to lift your spirits, such as:
• Make it a priority to get exercise. On the rare sunny winter days, go outside and take a brisk walk so you get the mood benefits of sunlight as well as exercise.
• Take a daily vitamin.
• Stay well-hydrated by drinking water whenever you are thirsty.
• When the sun is out, do your work by a window.

Psychiatrists from Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and Northwest Hospitals are available to talk about dealing with the winter blues and when see a doctor about depression. Call 410-601-WELL for more information.

How do you use to cope with the winter blues?