Medically reviewed by Troy Anderson, MD, WakeMed Primary Care – Wake Forest

Gone are the long, lazy North Carolina summer days where the sun comes out to play, brightening the sky and keeping it warm outside.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

As fall turns to winter, the sun is setting a bit earlier. The cold and dark are likely putting a damper on your mood. Seasonal affective disorder causes depression related to changes in seasons. It begins and ends at about the same times every year. The shorter days and lack of daylight that accompany winter lead us to the warmth of indoors. This combined with the lack of natural sunlight affects mood-regulating centers in the brain. Spending a significant amount of time indoors also leads to a more sedentary lifestyle, which increases the risk of seasonal affective disorder.

If you find yourself in a temporary funk during the winter months, you are not alone. Millions of Americans experience seasonal depression — or seasonal affective disorder — year after year.

When the doldrums are upon you, it’s important to know the symptoms, signs and when to seek medical help.

Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Watch for symptoms that you or a loved one are experiencing this condition. According to the National Institutes of Health, symptoms may include the following:

• Changes in appetite or weight
• Depressed feelings most of the day, nearly every day
• Hopelessness or feelings of worthlessness
• Sluggish or agitated behaviors
• Lost interest in activities once enjoyed
• Difficulty concentrating
• Low energy
• Problems with sleep

Practical Signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder

While many people experience some form of the “winter blues,” it can become a serious issue if it consistently interferes with your ability to function. Similar to other forms of depression, you should seek treatment if seasonal depression leads to lost productivity, missed days from work, withdrawal from friends and family and/or reduced energy that prevents you from functioning normally.

According to WakeMed primary care physician Troy Anderson, MD, “Seasonal affective disorder is a clinical diagnosis, based on patient history and symptoms. If patients have significant mood changes that consistently come and go during different seasons of the year, seasonal affective disorder is the likely diagnosis. Although mood disorders can include mania and anxiety, the most common variant by far is wintertime depression. This generally occurs in the fall and winter, and a lot of patients notice a correlation with the time change.”

Treatment Options for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder affects both children and adults and can lead to more serious types of depression, including bi-polar disorder. The good news: it can be treated effectively with a mixture of therapy and medication. One such therapy is light therapy. This treatment involves patients sitting close to a special light source every morning for at least 30 minutes to counteract the lack of exposure to daylight.

Dr. Anderson affirms the general treatment guidance. “The mainstays of treatment for seasonal affective disorder are antidepressants and light therapy. These can be tried separately or used in combination. Depending upon the severity of the patient’s symptoms, antidepressant medications are usually used initially. Light therapy can be very effective but is somewhat cumbersome to use at home. Most patients do not need year-round therapy and only require it during their symptomatic period. Treatment is initiated prior to the typical time a patient’s symptoms occur — generally about October. It is then continued through early spring and stopped for the remainder of the year. Each year, the start/stop dates as well as the medication/dose can be adjusted based on the prior year’s response.”

Increased exposure to natural daylight helps too, so take advantage of bright, sunny days and spend time outdoors.

Where to Seek Care

The next time you find yourself struggling through a dark winter day, get out in the sun the next time it out and try to shake those winter blues. But, if it becomes a prolonged situation that begins to affect your life, talk to your provider.

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About WakeMed Primary Care

WakeMed Physician Practices Primary Care features board-certified primary care, internal medicine and family medicine physicians conveniently located throughout the Triangle.

Our exceptional and compassionate providers and care teams pride themselves on developing long-term relationships with their patients and their families.

About Troy Anderson, MD

He works at Primary Care – Wake Forest.