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SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder: Diagnosis, Treatment

Sometimes you feel depressed, moody, tired, and frustrated during a particular time of the year. These periods are usually short in time and sometimes begin and end at the time when the season is changing. People start to feel low when the days are shorter and the daylight is very less and they start to feel better when the daylight is high and the days are longer.

Seasonal affective disorder(SAD) is a type of depression in which people may have some severe symptoms of depression at the time of season change. If you notice these kinds of changes in your thinking pattern and if you think that these symptoms are interfering with your work and relationships, you may have this disorder.

Diagnosis of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

Diagnosis says that you must be having these symptoms over the past 2 years. They may be:

You may have depression or mania that usually starts during a particular season and ends with it.
The symptoms are not there during normal days.
You may have more episodes of depression and mania over the lifetime.
Depression episodes followed by nondepression episodes.

Treatment of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

The symptoms of SAD will get better with the change in the weather. But when you take treatment, the management will be easy for you and you will be able to live a happy and comfortable life. Treatment also prevents symptoms from occurring again and again. Treatment therapies can be taken together or individually. The therapies are:

Light therapy:

Light therapy is also called phototherapy. In this, the affected person is allowed to sit in front of a lightbox as soon he/ she wakes up in the morning. Light therapy works the same as natural light and it appears to wake up the brain hormone which is related to all the mood changes in our brain.

It is the first treatment for seasonal affective disorder and starts working within a few days or weeks. It has few side effects. It helps in relieving the symptoms associated with seasonal affective disorder.

Medications:

When the symptoms are severe in nature, then some antidepressants are given to the person who is suffering from the seasonal affective disorder. People who are having an extended history of this disorder are given antidepressants. Apart from this other medicines may also be prescribed for their treatment. The doctor may start the treatment before the onset of the episode and may continue the medicines after the season has ended.

Psychotherapy:

Psychotherapy is also known as talk therapy. There is a type of psychotherapy which is known as CBT: cognitive behavior therapy (CBT expert – Dr.R.K.Suri), that is used in the treatment of SAD.

The technique in which there is a mind-body connection is also recommended:

These include some relaxation techniques, meditation, guided imagery, and music therapy. Sometimes art therapy is also used in this.

Apart from this, there are some home remedies which you can do by yourself. These include going out of the house and getting active. Following exercise schedule daily or make them a part of your life. Going out for a walk daily and getting the sun. Making your room and house brighter also helps in improving SAD symptoms.

Book online sessions with mental health experts at

TALKTOANGEL.COM