An overview of SAD

 December is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Awareness Month

 

What’s the meaning of the word, ‘SAD’? A few definitions from the dictionary define it as follows: 


-affected by unhappiness or grief; sorrowful or mournful

-expressive of or characterized by sorrow

-causing sorrow:

-(of color) somber, dark, or dull; drab

-deplorably bad

 

Did you know there’s a ‘thing’ called: SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER, or (SAD)?  It’s a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons. SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you're like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. These symptoms often resolve during the spring and summer months. Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer and resolves during the fall or winter months.

Treatment for SAD may include light therapy (phototherapy), psychotherapy, and medications.

Don't brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the "winter blues" or a seasonal funk you have to tough out on your own. Take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year.

NOTE: The information in this post was obtained from the MAYO Clinic’s website in an article titled: SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD)

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