SAD? You may have it
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression caused by the change in seasons
By: Sara Patterson
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: News
As the days become shorter, colder and darker, so does Jerad McFarlin's mood. Like many stressed students at the end of the fall semester, The U of M senior's blues increase as the weather deteriorates. But instead of letting lethargy and lack of motivation get the better of him, he sits down at his work desk and flips the lamp switch. A light therapy bulb brightens the room, and after 20 minutes, McFarlin's spirits lift. He gets back to work with a renewed sense of vigor and concentration.
Light therapy bulbs are most often used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, a form of depression that appears at the same time each year. People with SAD will usually experience symptoms of depression in the approaching winter months as the days become shorter. They then return to their usual emotional and physical state in the spring, according to mayoclinic.com. While no formal cause for the disorder has been determined, many experts link it to circadian rhythm, melatonin and serotonin levels, which fluctuate with the seasons. Circadian rhythm is a process that regulates the sleep cycle. Melatonin is a hormone linked with depression that usually increases during long winter nights, and serotonin is a brain chemical that drops with lack of sunlight and is believed to affect a person's mood.
McFarlin uses a BlueMax brand dawn simulating lamp, priced at about $150, because his mom bought a kit for herself and had an extra lamp. Having a parent with SAD is listed as a risk factor on mayoclinic.com, along with living in northern altitudes. Although McFarlin has never been diagnosed with SAD, he is a firm believer in the therapy and works under the bulb every day, rain or shine, but particularly on the dreariest of days.
"I don't seem to have as much energy as I would on a sunny day," said McFarlin. "It's harder to get going in the morning, my mind is cloudy, kind of like. Low motivation and physically-all I want to do is lay in bed all day."
Light therapy bulbs are most often used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, a form of depression that appears at the same time each year. People with SAD will usually experience symptoms of depression in the approaching winter months as the days become shorter. They then return to their usual emotional and physical state in the spring, according to mayoclinic.com. While no formal cause for the disorder has been determined, many experts link it to circadian rhythm, melatonin and serotonin levels, which fluctuate with the seasons. Circadian rhythm is a process that regulates the sleep cycle. Melatonin is a hormone linked with depression that usually increases during long winter nights, and serotonin is a brain chemical that drops with lack of sunlight and is believed to affect a person's mood.
McFarlin uses a BlueMax brand dawn simulating lamp, priced at about $150, because his mom bought a kit for herself and had an extra lamp. Having a parent with SAD is listed as a risk factor on mayoclinic.com, along with living in northern altitudes. Although McFarlin has never been diagnosed with SAD, he is a firm believer in the therapy and works under the bulb every day, rain or shine, but particularly on the dreariest of days.
"I don't seem to have as much energy as I would on a sunny day," said McFarlin. "It's harder to get going in the morning, my mind is cloudy, kind of like. Low motivation and physically-all I want to do is lay in bed all day."