Feeling the Winter Blues? Here are Some Treatments That May Help

Winter is quickly approaching, and with shorter daylight hours and falling temperatures, many people begin to feel the cloud of seasonal depression.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that occurs seasonally, typically in the winter months. SAD is not just the winter blues – SAD is a subtype of major depressive disorder. It can also occur during summer, but it is much less common that time of year.

Many of the symptoms are similar to major depression, but they are only experienced for part of the year. Some of these symptoms include sustained depressed mood for more than two weeks; feeling sad, hopeless or irritable; changes in appetite; difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much; lack of energy; and loss of interest in typically enjoyable activities. However, compared to people with major depression, people diagnosed with SAD tend to oversleep rather than have insomnia, they tend to be more lethargic than irritable, and they may especially crave carbohydrates.

Unfortunately, people often do not get treatment. For example, among patients recruited for a study of SAD, nearly 60 percent had never been treated. But treatments are available and effective.

The most common is bright light therapy. Antidepressant medication and counseling/therapy are also effective in treating SAD and the treatments can be used in combination. You can purchase a light therapy box without a prescription, but it is best to work with your doctor or mental health professional to help ensure you use it safety and effectively.

Antidepressant medication, fluoxetine in particular, is also used to treat SAD. Counseling, specifically cognitive behavior therapy, is also effective in addressing the symptoms of SAD. In addition, several lifestyle changes can also help, including a healthy diet, regular exercise, increased time spent outdoors, and mindfulness and other stress-reduction techniques.

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