A significant proportion of the population – millions of them- suffer from mood, behavioral and metabolism changes when the winter season approaches. Such a disorder is commonly known as SAD or
. When seasonal affective disorder besets a person, they often develop a great dislike for the shorter days and dark mornings during winter which consequently affects their mood, and bringing over a period of depression. The strongest theory suspected behind the occurrence of seasonal affective disorder which affects 20% of the total population of Sweden is that the scarcity of light during the season brings about the its onset.
Sunlight has been thought of to change the brain’s chemistry, thus, during the cold and dark winter, those affected by seasonal affective disorder may become lethargic, unable or disinterested in going about with their mundane tasks or may be covered with a blanket of depression. SAD is also thought to be triggered by an imbalance of serotonin in the brain, although the theory is not entirely indisputable. Seasonal affective disorder was first described by Jordanes, a Goth scholar in the 6th Century when he was then referring to the people of Scandinavia. The disorder may initially be vaguely diagnosed as it occurs as a mild sort of depression.
If left untreated, however, seasonal affective disorder can become chronic and debilitating and it is generally until this stage that the afflicted individuals seek treatment. Those beset with SAD often primarily do not hurl a tinge of concern over their symptoms as they may consider it as a temporary state of helplessness until the indications become unmanageable that they become compelled to seek professional help. Studies have shown that 1 out of 10 individuals may have been affected by
albeit temporary, but it is technically not considered as a disorder. If seasonal affective disorder regularly manifests and inhibits a person’s daily functioning, then it has categorically become an illness that needs medical attention.
Extreme sluggishness which causes the person to sleep for more than 10 hours a day and yet feeling tired upon waking up is one of the manifestations of seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder is thought of to bring about the onslaught of depression, but ongoing studies cited findings that depression may be a contributing factor, too. Individuals who are susceptible to depression have more predilection to suffer from seasonal affective disorder when winter sets in. The disorder generally does not affect younger individuals, but women aged 35 and above. There is a broad spectrum of treatment measures available to even the most severe cases of seasonal affective disorder ranging from medications, light therapy and ionized air-reception.
By far, the most common recourse by those affected is light therapy which may entail sitting in front of a light box for 15 to 45 minutes a day or going to sunnier climes. Such measures are usually effective in eradicating the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. It is best that professional help be sought to determine the most suitable treatment modalities for
according to an individual’s needs and condition.
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