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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a cyclical variety of depression during short winter days. Most people with SAD symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping their energy and making them feel moody. Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer.

Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms appear during late fall or early winter and go away during sunnier days of spring and summer. Symptoms may start mild and become more severe, and the season progresses.

Signs and symptoms of SAD may include:

  • Feeling depressed most of the day
  • Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
  • Having problems with sleeping
  • Experience changes in your appetite or weight
  • Having difficulty concentrating
  • Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty

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The specific causes of Seasonal Affective Disorder remain unknown. Some factors that may come into play include:

  • Our biological clock (circadian rhythm). The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause SAD.
  • Serotonin level. A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, might play a role in SAD. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.
  • Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the body’s level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.

 

I lived in Norway for a couple of years and Seasonal Affective Disorder very much affected my life there. I lived in the Western part of Norway where during winter we only got four hours of daylight. It was difficult for me as a foreigner because I have never experienced that short duration of daylight even in winter. My classes always started at 8:00 am, and whenever I woke up, I felt like it was in the middle of the night. Around 11:00 am it would slowly start to get light and by 2:00/3:00 pm It would be completely dark again.

Lack of daylight caused a lot of problems for me. I gained 15 kg, and I always felt hungry. I was always very stressed, depressed, moody and aggressive to my friends and family. I was complaining all the time about everything. I never had the energy to do anything, so my grades were low because I simply could not study. I also had a lot of absences because I could never sleep. It did not matter how hard I would try to sleep; I could not fall asleep until 2:00/3:00 am. I remember once I could not sleep for two nights, and I was crying and went to the doctor because I felt like I had a problem, but she said it was normal. I was always feeling guilty of getting low grades, missing classes. I hated myself and my life.

My friends and I found a solution to drinking alcohol and smoking or doing snus because that’s what Scandinavian people do to tackle SAD. It would make us feel better, but the next day we would feel terrible.

I have heard that many Norwegians attempt to suicide and the government has a program for people with Seasonal Affective Disorder, they send these people to Spain, Italy or other warmer countries so they can get better.

 

This knowledge which I gained through researching this fascinating topic that I have experienced myself will help me to mentally support my friends who are still living in Norway and have similar problems. I am going to explain to them about this disorder, give them some advice and tell them to approach a psychologist. I would also talk to teachers about it and ask them to implement different approaches, for example, starting classes later, giving less homework to the students, etc.

 

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