National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Seasonal Affective Disorder is the National Institute of Mental Health
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Also called: SAD, Seasonal depression, Seasonal mood disorder
Some people experience a serious mood change during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. This condition is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. SAD is a type of depression. It usually lifts during spring and summer.
Not everyone with SAD has the same symptoms. They include
- Sad, anxious or "empty" feelings
- Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
- Irritability, restlessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
- Fatigue and decreased energy
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions
- Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
- Changes in weight
- Thoughts of death or suicide
SAD may be effectively treated with light therapy. But nearly half of people with SAD do not respond to light therapy alone. Antidepressant medicines and talk therapy can reduce SAD symptoms, either alone or combined with light therapy.
NIH: National Institute of Mental Health
-
Start Here
- Seasonal Affective Disorder(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Seasonal Affective Disorder(NAMI)
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
,
Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
.
For group Learn More
- No links available
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
- No links available
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
,
Reference Shelf
, and
For You
.
For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
-
Overviews
- Seasonal Affective Disorder(Dept. of Veterans Affairs)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)(American Psychiatric Association)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
-
Treatment
- Light Therapy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment: Choosing a Light Therapy Box(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
-
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Seasonal Affective Disorder(National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Seasonal Affective Disorder
-
Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
-
Organizations
- NAMI
- Also available in Spanish
-
National Institute of Mental Health
- Return to top
-
Teenagers
- Seasonal Affective Disorder(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Patient Handouts
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
