Sarah suffers from a typical case of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. People with this condition are very sensitive to the amounts of environmental light and become depressed when these levels fall below a certain threshold, such as during the short dark days of winter. Although the problem probably has a genetic basis, the severity of winter depressions depends on the amount of light in a susceptible person’s environment. Often people with SAD who have lived in different locations report that their problem is worse the further away they live from the equator, with depressions lasting longer and being more severe than when they live in more tropical climes. For some reason not yet understood, women are more susceptible than men to SAD, especially when they are in their reproductive years.
When depressed, people with SAD tend to oversleep. Often they just feel like curling up in bed and being left alone. They empathize with hibernating bears who are free to laze away the winter without the responsibilities that beset us humans all year round. Such responsibilities often overwhelm the person with winter depression, who can barely rouse herself and get going, let alone tackle the chores, work and personal commitments that are part of ordinary living. Overwhelmed by these demands, the person with SAD feels like a failure and anxiety and depression are always close at hand. One source of comfort is often food, especially sweets and starches, which are consumed in great amounts, resulting in unwelcome weight gain.
Seasonal affective disorder is extremely common and has been estimated to affect about 5 per cent of adults. Another 15 per cent are estimated to suffer from a milder form of the condition, subsyndromal SAD or the winter blues. Although most people with the milder version of SAD do not seek out medical attention, the dark short winter days nevertheless interfere with their productivity and creativity and make life feel dreary and dull. It is estimated that approximately one in five people suffers from emotional or behavioural disturbances as a result of the winter.
Light deprivation for any reason will tend to depress these susceptible individuals. Two or three cloudy days in a row, a windowless office or the scarcity of light in their ground-floor flat are all quite likely to lead to a lack of energy and a slump in mood.
Once the connection is made between the amount of environmental light and the drops in mood, however, the condition feels immediately less burdensome. As Sarah put it, ‘understanding the problem is half the battle.’ The other half of the battle can be won with the help of light therapy, St John’s Wort and other antidepressant strategies.
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