What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Seasonal affective disorder is a mood disorder characterized by depression associated with a particular season, especially winter. It is a group of diseases characterized by repeated occurrence of depression at the same time every year. This depression is related to the length of the day or the amount of light in the environment. ^[1]

Seasonal emotional disorder (English: Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD), also known as "depression in winter," is an emotional or emotional disorder. Most SAD patients have good health for most of the year, but they will feel depressed in winter or summer. In the tropics, SAD is rare even if it exists. However, SAD exists significantly north of 30 degrees north latitude or south of 30 degrees south latitude. Seasonal affective disorder is a clinical diagnosis accepted by the medical community. Rosenthal, NE, director of the Department of Environmental Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health, affiliated with the National Institutes of Health, is a person and researcher who finds seasonal affective disorders. The study found that the probability of seasonal depression is significantly related to the average temperature of the month and the length of the light cycle. It is also noted that seasonal affective disorder often manifests as depression in winter and mild mania in summer, and the two appear alternately. However, seasonal affective disorder is generally not considered an independent emotional disorder, but rather a special type of major depressive episode with seasonal characteristics. This major depressive episode can be seen in major depression and manic depression.

It is believed that seasonal mood swings have a lot to do with sunlight, not temperature. Therefore, SAD is also common in regions with mid-latitudes and mild winters, such as Seattle and Vancouver. People living in the Arctic Circle, because

Seasonal affective disorder has two season-related symptoms:

The onset of autumn, also known as "winter depression", major depressive episodes start from late autumn to early winter and relieve in summer

The onset of spring, also known as "summer depression", begins with severe depressive episodes from late spring to early summer.

The following are the most common symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, but different patients can behave differently. include:

Increased sleep and sleepiness during the day

restless

Fatigue or decreased energy

decreased libido

Attention is difficult

Difficult to think clearly

Increased appetite causes weight gain, especially sweets and carbohydrates

Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder can be similar to other mental illnesses and require medical diagnosis.

Doctors decide the treatment of seasonal affective disorder based on:

Patient age, health status and medical history

Severity of the disease

Tolerance to special drugs, tests and treatments

Estimation of the condition

Patients' opinions and choices on treatment

The treatment of winter depression and summer depression is different. The treatment can be used alone or in combination:

Phototherapy

Medication

Psychotherapy

Control key: establish a normal biological clock

Select a 500-watt incandescent lamp and gradually adjust the lighting intensity of the light from 4 to 6 in the morning to help the child artificially establish a normal biological clock. Practice has proved that this method is very effective, and the child does not need to actively participate, but only receives treatment in the sleep state ^[2]