It’s a beautiful day. The sun is finally shining bright! We sure could use some sun…as a matter of fact, it may be just what the doctor orders!
Cloudy days and the winter months can affect your mood; that ”seasonal funk,” or “the winter blues,” became an official diagnosis in 1984: Seasonal Affective Disorder1. In the early 1980’s, biologists Alfred Lewy and Norman Rosenthal recognized that the symptoms of SAD were consistently related to changes in one’s circadian rhythm2, which is the body’s response to light and dark. This makes perfect sense when considering that sun exposure is less during the fall and winter months.
“Disorder” literally means a lack of order or confusion – a disturbance of “normal” functioning of physical or mental processes5.
For more information, check out the resources listed below, and talk to a medical professional if you suspect that you might be dealing with this disorder.
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – Symptoms and causes:
[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20364651] - Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Background, Pathophysiology, Epidemiology:
[https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2500054-overview] - Seasonal Depression (Seasonal Affective Disorder):
[https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9293-seasonal-depression] - NIMH » Seasonal Affective Disorder:
[https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder] - Disorder – definition of disorder by The Free Dictionary:
[https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Disorder] - Seasonal Affective Disorder:
[https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2000/0301/p1531.html] - Circadian Rhythm: What It Is, How it Works, and More:
https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/circadian-rhythm#how-it-works] - Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – Diagnosis and treatment:
[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20364722]
- Seasonal Affective Disorder:
[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder] - Feeling SAD? 3 Ways to Fight Seasonal Depression:
[https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2021/seasonal-affective-disorder.html]
- A SAD story: Seasonal affective disorder:
[https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/a-sad-story-seasonal-affective-disorder] - Light Therapy for SAD: Science, Results & Outlook:
[https://lighttherapy.org/light-therapy-for-sad/] - Light therapy: Not just for seasonal depression?
[https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/light-therapy-not-just-for-seasonal-depression-202210282840]
