As a clinical psychologist who treats SAD, Sally Weinstein from the University of Illinois at Chicago explains the symptoms can be distressing, and include a lack of interest in daily activities, feeling moody, sad or anxious, fatigue, overeating and weight gain.
She notes that while the onset of the holiday season coincides with the onset of SAD symptoms, it’s not the cause.
“There’s a myth the holidays are associated with the highest rate of suicide or attempted suicide,” she says. “In reality, completed suicide rates are lowest during the holiday period because although there’s a lot of stress, there’s also a lot of protective factors like being around family, being around loved others.”
To be diagnosed with SAD, a person must meet the full criteria for depression for two consecutive years.
Weinstein recommends anyone who suspects he or she might be affected to consult a primary care doctor, and discuss treatment options, which can include the use of light therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy.
Weinstein says following what she calls the four tenets of wellness can reduce symptoms of SAD and are beneficial for everyone during the winter months.
“Making sure you have a consistent daily routine, that you’re getting exercise, that you’re following a moderate and balanced diet and that you continue to be around social support,” she explains. “Those are the four things that always help with our wellness, and are even more important during these winter months.”
Weinstein adds that without treatment, SAD can become overwhelming and interfere with one’s daily functioning, causing feelings of hopelessness or despair.
“Know what the symptoms and the signs are and know that this is certainly something that is treatable and that there is hope,” she urges. “Even if it’s sub-threshold and you’re just experiencing some of these mood and energy changes with the winter months, there is a lot that you can do to help with that.”
Seasonal Affective Disorder affects roughly 5 percent of all adults in the country, and women are diagnosed four times more often than men. People with a family history of depression are at increased risk.
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This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2019.
“hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans” You couldn’t even be bothered to change the demonym??
December isn’t so bad…most people are busy and socially active, and the lights and the decorations help a lot. January is January…the heart of winter…just like July is July, the heart of summer…and you just deal with either the heat or the chill. And in January, the days are slowly starting to get longer.
February and March are the worst months in Ohio. By February the snow and the cold and the grayness are wearing folks down, and March is really just another winter month here. March’s weather is why people go ape-shit on St. Paddy’s Day, because it’s really the glimmer of the first light at the end of a long, long tunnel…even though March 17 is usually pretty cold and often pretty lousy.
I’ve hated winter all my life, and I’ve had problems with SAD since I was eight. This piece misses the whole point. It isn’t the shorter daylight and falling temperatures that can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD….it’s the LACK OF LIGHT. Not merelydaylight…SUNLIGHT.
A shorter day with sunshine is better for a SAD sufferer than a longer overcast one. And what Ohio produces in the wintertime is cloudy skies, thanks to the Great Lakes. It is in one of the cloudiest regions in the country, if not the world, in the winter months.
So that is why light therapy is an antidote to SAD…you sit in front of a light box and get the UV rays that the sun provides in the brighter seasons. Just be careful. you can hurt your vision if you overdo it.
Illinois has more winter sunshine because it has more clear and cold days, being on the upwind side of Lake Michigan. If they want something to bitch about…the days and weeks of cloud cover…they should try Michigan and Ohio. I’ve lived in all three, and Illinois has the most sunshine. Of course, it also has much colder winters, often below zero. That’s a lot less common in Ohio.
So it’s a trade-off…do you want five above and sunny or thirty and gray? I’ll take the thirty and gray…but it took me over twenty years to get used to Ohio’s gloomy winters, and to deal with the lack of sunlight. Humans can get used to almost anything, Especially if they like to guzzle booze. It’s no accident that Ohio is among the leaders in alcohol consumption.
Booze is easier and cheaper than light boxes or shrinks or pills. But the best remedy is also the costliest…the snowbirds can “Just say…BYE!”