{"id":1552,"date":"2010-12-30T23:09:13","date_gmt":"2010-12-31T07:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/?p=1552"},"modified":"2018-01-24T19:06:27","modified_gmt":"2018-01-24T19:06:27","slug":"do-i-have-seasonal-affective-disorder-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/blog\/do-i-have-seasonal-affective-disorder-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Do I have seasonal affective disorder?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The question:<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think I have seasonal affective disorder. How do I know for sure?<\/em><\/p>\n


\n<\/em><\/p>\n

The answer:<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), more commonly known as \u201cthe winter blues,\u201d is a type of depression that impacts about two to three per cent of the general population. Many of us find that our mood and energy levels are affected by the weather: Warmer, sunnier days tend to lift our moods, while cold, rainy, dark days can make us feel gloomier. For a certain percentage of people, the weather (and in particular seasonal variations in light that come along with shorter days) has a more significant impact and can lead to the development of a particular subtype of clinical depression.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You may have SAD if you notice the following:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

– A distinct seasonal pattern to your mood (i.e., very little or no depression symptoms during spring or summer months, when the days are longer)<\/p>\n

– Persistently low, depressed mood that lasts for usually two to three months during winter months. November to February are the peak months.<\/p>\n

– Depression symptoms (such as low mood, changes in appetite or weight, decreased energy or fatigue, sleep changes, avoidance of social situations) in the absence of other identifiable triggers or causes<\/p>\n

– Improved mood if you are in a sunnier climate during the usual \u201chigh risk\u201d winter months<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t understand very well why some people are so much more affected than others by weather and sunlight, but there seems to be a stronger biological\/genetic component than with other types of depression.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are a number of very effective strategies that can help lessen the impact of SAD:<\/p>\n

– Make a point to spend more time outdoors during peak light hours (10am to 2pm), even if it\u2019s only for 10 to 15 minutes during a coffee or lunch break.<\/p>\n

– Arrange your home and work environments (if possible) to maximize your exposure to direct sunlight: Leave blinds and curtains open and try to be around windows that allow in natural light.<\/p>\n

– By hypervigilant about taking care of yourself in the fall months, before the usual season dips in mood occur (i.e., exercise, eat a healthy diet, drink alcohol in moderation).<\/p>\n

– Talk to a physician about the use of a light box; many people find that 10 to 20 minutes of artificial \u201clight therapy,\u201d usually prescribed to be taken first thing in the morning, has significant benefit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In addition to the above, approaches that are effective for general depression, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy from a psychologist or psychiatric medication treatment, are also of significant value.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Useful information on Seasonal Affective Disorder and light therapy can be found at the Mayo Clinic site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The question: I think I have seasonal affective disorder. How do I know for sure? The answer: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), more commonly known as \u201cthe winter blues,\u201d is a type of depression that impacts about two to three per cent of the general population. Many of us find that our mood and energy levels […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[7,73],"class_list":["post-1552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-globe-mail-columns","tag-depression","tag-seasonal-affective-disorder"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1552"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6917,"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1552\/revisions\/6917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.drjotisamra.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}