Shedding more light onto SAD

Everything you need to know about Seasonal Affective Disorder

Brandon Yip - Contributor

 

many people. It is the time for workplace parties,
gift buying for friends and family, or strolling at
a Christmas market—these activities provide joy and
camaraderie for people. But for others, the holiday season
is a time of great sadness and despair.

TT holiday season can be a joyous occasion for

One of the main factors that affect a person’s mood is
the change in seasons, specifically fall to winter. With
fewer daylight hours, many people struggle to feel jovial
during the holidays. This condition is known as Seasonal
Affective Disorder (SAD), seasonal depression, or winter
depression.

For this reason, it is important for people to have a strong
support system if they are affected by SAD. According to

a HealthLinkBC online article about SAD, experts are not
sure what causes it, but one assumption is that it is caused
by a decrease in sunlight. SAD does not discriminate,

as any person can get it. Yet, it is predominantly seen

in women and in people who do not live close to the
equator—where there are shorter daylight hours in the
winter. The age range of those affected is 15 to 55 years,
but it is to be noted that your risk of getting the condition
decreases with age. People who have relatives with

SAD are also susceptible to the condition. Symptoms of
SAD can vary from weight gain, loss of interest in daily
activities, inability to concentrate, or feeling moody,
grumpy, sad, or anxious.

Dr. Robert Levitan, a Senior Scientist at the Centre

for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto,
discusses the origins of SAD. “Right around the time that
we change the clocks, which is now in November, the days
of course are getting very very short,” he states in a video
segment produced by CAMH.

“Many people start to experience a form of depression
that we call seasonal depression, or Seasonal Affective

  

Disorder (SAD). [And this] often starts with fatigue,
[and] low energy, but starts to involve more symptoms
of depression, symptoms of sadness, lethargy, [and]
apathy.”

Also, Dr. Omar Rieche, Medical Director, has input on
what is going on for people experiencing sadness during
this season. “Holiday blues really is just this period of
time during the holidays where there’s more expectations
and more pressure,” Dr. Rieche said in a video segment
produced by Southwest Florida healthcare system Lee
Health. “People start to remember childhood holidays and
times where we’re supposed to be happy. Everything’s
supposed to be joyous and it’s not.”

Furthermore, Sarah Hamid-Balma, Director of Mental
Health Promotion with the BC Division of the Canadian
Mental Health Association, says that symptoms of SAD
can be mild or serious, depending on the person. But if
untreated, SAD can affect one’s ability to function daily.
“Like other forms of depression (major depression,
postpartum depression), [SAD] can be milder, more
moderate or more severe,” Hamid-Balma said in an email
interview with the Other Press. “Depression, whatever
kind it is, can be quite disabling because it affects almost
everything: your thoughts, your feelings, your motivation,
your concentration, your energy, your behaviours, your
relationships, and your physical well-being. And some
people even think about suicide—you can’t get more
serious than that.”

Hamid-Balma continues by stating that SAD is often
misunderstood in society. “It’s not about weather, but
about season,” she states. So, a couple of weeks of rain
doesn’t cause SAD. Going on, she says that, “Also, SAD is
actually rarer than people think. Only two to three percent
of people will develop it.” It is important to clarify that
there is also a mild form of the disorder that is much more
common—occurring in 15 percent of people—but the

“SAD is actually rarer
than people think. Only

two to three percent of
people will develop it.”

 

—Sarah Hamid-Balma,
Director of Mental Health Promotion with the BC
Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association