What Are The Symptoms of SAD

SAD is a season related psychological disorder, which happens to occur especially in winters and more or less in the same time of the year. You may have noted that some people get depressed as the days start growing shorter in fall or winter. It is thought that SAD symptoms are associated with the decrease in sunlight. It is the type of depression which affects females more than males. In some people, SAD symptoms and how do TCA’s work may happen to occur in summer days as well. SAD information reflects many names of it such as winter blues, winter depression, seasonal depression and hibernation reaction.

Symptoms of SAD

Symptoms of SAD are similar to those of depression but are linked to a specific season, especially the winter. Following symptoms may happen to occur:

•    Fatigue: It is an important symptom in the people with SAD. The patient begins feeling weakness and tiredness as the winter arises. The patient cannot concentrate properly on anything.
•    Depression: SAD is actually a type of atypical depression. In a specific period of the year, the patient is attacked by depression and he/she feels hopelessness. Crying spells are also observed in SAD. This needs SAD medication. Natural antidepressants may be useful to overcome the SAD symptoms, especially the depression.
•    Anxiety: Most of the patients with seasonal affective disorder feel anxiety. They find their bodies lethargic.
•    Increased appetite: Craving for sweet and scratchy foods increases with gain of somewhat weight. Weight loss may be associated with other types of depression.
•    Increased or disturbed sleep: The patient sleeps more against the usual routine. Day time sleeping is observed in the patients with SAD.  Hence, oversleeping is included in the SAD symptoms.
•    Loss of interest in work: The patient gets bored of doing work. He/she does not feel easy at work, and slow and sluggish movements are observed by the patient himself/herself. The reason is lack of energy or lethargy, which leads to loss of interest in work.
•    Irritability:  Most of the SAD patients are found irritable. They observe disturbing body aches.
•    Social withdrawal: People with seasonal affective disorder avoid social contact and communication. They feel easy to be alone and show social rejection.
•    Loss of sex drive: The patients feel decreased libido or sexual desire. It is caused by the depression which is the part of this seasonal affective disorder.
•    Suicide: In severe cases, the patients may try for suicide. In this regard, patients with SAD or psychological disorders must be under strict and proper observation.

In some cases, especially in summer depression, contrary to the winter or fall depression, the patients feel insomnia, increased sex drive, agitation, weight loss and poor appetite.

SAD Medication

Seasonal affective disorder is treated with SAD medication, which includes antidepressant drugs. Moreover, natural antidepressants are also present in certain foods. These natural antidepressants include omega fatty acids, walnuts, citrus fruits, spinach, chicken and many more. Fundamentally, one must contact the psychologist to have full SAD information and to start SAD medication. Psychologist is the only person who can recommend the treatment for the patients with SAD. Though SAD is not a long recognized diagnosis, total SAD information is available all the time on the internet and one can get an idea about this disease easily.