the changing of the seasons brings with it many stark contrasts warmth and cold, green and grey, long summer days and short winter ones, and for some people, their mood is another consequence of the seasons.
seasonal affective disorder
, or sad, is a subset of
depression
unique in that it has a beginning and an end. while a small number of people get sad in the heat of the summer, for the overwhelming majority, it occurs in the fall and resolves spontaneously in the spring.
seasonal affective disorder related to light, not temperature
“we do know this is mostly related to light as opposed to temperature,” said dr. robert levitan, senior scientist in the campbell family mental health research institute at the centre for addiction and mental health (camh) in toronto. “a lot of us look at it as related to hibernation or some sort of evolutionary strategy that in theory was protective to our ancestors but in modern times becomes a nuisance.”
sad is also thought to be hereditary, as 13 to 17 per cent of those with the condition have an immediate family member who suffers from it as well. about 3 to 5 per cent of canadians have a serious clinical form of sad. about 15 per cent live with what levitan calls sub-syndromal sad, a milder form with similar symptoms. then there is an even smaller demographic with what is informally called the winter blues, which doesn’t have a significant enough impact on your day-to-day functioning.
seasonal affective disorder symptoms and treatments