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Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is commonly known as "winter-depression" or "Winter Blues" and is a common phenomena, especially in the Scandinavian countries due to the long and dark winters.

In fact, the high suicide rates for certain countries, Finland and Sweden in particular, is contributed partly to depression caused by SAD.

Symptoms of SAD include changes in appetite, weight gain or weight loss, irritability, low energy levels, change in sleep/wake patterns, inability or difficulty to sleep, body aches and pain, decreased creativity and sometimes suicidal thoughts.

The main indicator that you suffer from SAD, and not another form of depression or anxiety disorder, is that the depression seem to arrive at approximately the same time each year. Usually symptoms appear sometime in fall and subside sometime in the spring. However, some persons with SAD is even more sensitive to weather changes and can react to shorter periods of cloudy, rainy or gray days.

Light therapy is considered by the National Institute of Mental Health to be a natural and safe option to cure winter depression. It can also be considered a preferred alternative to anti-depressants.

Bright light therapy is said to improve sleep/wake patterns, melatonin levels and enhance serotonin, which is essential to your mood, emotional state and overall feelings of well-being.

For anyone who sees a seasonal pattern to their mood that disturbs their quality of life, talking to your health care provider as well as doing your own research about bright light therapy can be a helpful step towards feeling good again.

Learn more about this author, Anna Ortlieb.
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