Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment is much needed for our seasonal depression. It helps ease our SAD and make our gloomy world light up. Seasonal Affective Disorder remedies give us hope for a better life.
We really need cures for our so-called ‘winter blues’ or else it’ll make our whole winter dark and leave us at the mercy of SAD.
SAD treatment is the most significant thing in your life that you are looking for if you know how it feels like to be the victim of winter blues.
In this article, we’ll see all the probable treatments for this disease.
Table of Contents
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
SAD is a mood disorder that occurs seasonally at the onset of the different seasons ( especially winter) and, the affected ones exhibit depressive mood symptoms.
Its Treatment and Remedy are the ways to get out of this infliction.
It is also known by several other names like seasonal depression, winter depression, summer depression, and seasonal mood disorder.
This is a seasonal kind of depression that affects the person’s overall well-being.
Types Of SAD
There are two types of mood disorders.
1 – Summer Depression
It begins in the late spring or early summer and ends in the fall. This type is quite uncommon.
2 – Winter Depression
This type of seasonal depression starts in winter or fall and ends in early summer or spring. This is a common and general type of SAD.
Symptoms Of SAD
Now we know there are two types of SAD so naturally, their respective symptoms also have to be different.
Summer Symptoms
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Decreased Appetite
- Weight Loss
- Restlessness
Winter Symptoms
- Feeling Remorseful
- Feeling Hopeless
- Feeling Melancholic
- Feeling Nauseous
- Feeling Worthless
- Feeling Fatigued
- Feeling Depressed
- Overeating
- Weight Gain
- Difficulty Thinking
- Difficulty Decision-Making
- Social Withdrawl
- Thoughts Of Death
Causes Of SAD
Let’s take a glance at SAD Causes before reaching SAD Treatment.
- It might be because of your Family History
- Disproportionate Biological Rhythm
- Low Vitamin D
- Low Serotonin Level
- High Melatonin
- Living too far from the Equator
- Because you already have other Mental Illness
Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment
Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment is a must to recover yourself from the claws of mood swings. For this, you definitely need a mental health professional to help understand the nature and intensity of your disease.
Below we’ll see a whole list of Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatments that can be used as a part of your recovery.
1 – Seek Professional Help
The first and foremost thing is to consult a health care expert in that field. If you are not sure about your symptoms and conditions you should approach for professional help.
Professionals have a whole lot of experience and when you share your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with them they can easily read and correlate it with any probable disorder.
They might provide you with a questionnaire and ask a set of questions to give you a better treatment.
2 – Phototherapy/Light Therapy
As lack of proper light source is one of the initiating causes of Seasonal Mood Swing so phototherapy or light therapy is applied for its treatment.
Exposure to an adequate amount of special light every day for a specified period of time that is used to treat SAD is known as Phototherapy or Light therapy.
Light therapy mimics natural sunlight and tends to create a change in brain chemicals that regulates mood.
Light therapy uses a lightbox that emits far more lumens than customary lamps. These lights are brighter and have different wavelengths.
It is thought to increase the level of serotonin and decrease the production of melatonin.
It is recommended to use light therapy within the first hours after waking up for almost 30 minutes.
Light therapy also consists of exposure to natural sunlight and using dawn simulators.
Before going for light therapy you should consult your doctor first.
3 – Psychotherapy/Counseling
Psychotherapy is a kind of talk therapy in which patients build professional relationships with psychotherapists for treating their mental and psychological illnesses.
These interactions positively affect your thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
In psychotherapy, health care professionals understand your condition and the reason behind it and also modify your thinking and behavioral patterns by talk therapies.
Below are two types of therapies used in Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
It is a type of psychological treatment that produces a positive result in recognizing and treating psychological or mental issues. This way we try to change the perspective of the affected person.
It is typically conducted in sessions for a number of days on a periodic basis and helps alleviate negative thoughts with positive ones.
According to the studies, the results of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy are longest-lasting if done nicely and can really improve your condition.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
Again it’s a type of talk therapy, it helps people identify their mental health problems like depression and anxiety address them soundly.
It is practiced for a limited time maybe within 12-16 weeks.
Interpersonal Therapies help us to alleviate symptoms of SAD.
4 – Medications/Antidepressants
Medications like antidepressants are used in severe cases of seasonal depression. The medicines or antidepressants prescribed by your psychiatrists will help repair the chemical imbalances caused by SAD.
You should consult your doctors before taking any antidepressants so that you are informed of their pros and cons.
They usually take a lot of patience and do have certain side effects.
5 – Vitamin D Intake
Vitamin D deficiency is one of the causes of Seasonal Affective Disease so, in response to this, you should increase your intake of Vitamin D. Vitamin D can be taken from sunlight, food, and artificial supplements.
So, Vitamin D intake is one of the Treatments in controlling this menace. Though studies have shown mixed responses to an increased Vitamin D intake.
6 – Work On Your Environment
Try to make your environment bright and vibrant. If possible, spend more time in sunlight and plan your activities accordingly.
“A cheerful environment breeds cheerful feelings and helps you in your seasonal depression.”
Try choosing outdoor activities so that nature can calm you down and lend a helping hand in your treatment.
7 – Watch Your Sleeping Patterns
Keep an eye on your sleeping pattern. Do not oversleep. Make a schedule for going to bed and waking up because it will help eliminate symptoms of SAD.
Try to avoid naps if possible so that you don’t feel drowsy and sad all day long.
8 – Exercise
Regular physical activity and exercise can also help reduce depression and stress which contribute to the symptoms of SAD.
Being physically fit lifts your mood and health thereby, making you overall well. Several studies have proved that physical activity plays a positive role in uplifting your mental and psychological health like seasonal depression.
9 – Go For Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the use of aromatic materials like essential oils, aroma compounds, and natural plant extracts to improve psychological and physical well-being.
It is a holistic approach that calms and soothes the mind, body, and spirit.
It can be practiced to restore serenity by regulating your mood and sleep.
Consult your health care provider regarding the usage of aromatherapy as your SAD Treatment.
10 – Try Socializing
Socializing and mixing with people can have a good impact on your health. Research over time has shown optimistic results regarding active social participation in the case of psychological illness.
People around you can cheer your spirits up if they can make you feel heard and understood.
Socializing can turn out to be a worthy SAD Treatment when done with the right people for the right amount of time along with the right environment and subject of discussion.
11 – Prepare Yourself
Yes, as we do rehearsals and preparations for all the important things that are going to happen in our lives, we should do it for seasonal depression too.
Before the onset of winter or summer depression, it would be better if we put our guards on and prepare ourselves mentally for it.
Indulging ourselves in recreational activities and enjoyable hobbies can make you stronger in the face of SAD.
12 – Meditate
Meditation can give the power to manage stress, anxiety, and depression. It will articulate positive messages within and around you.
It will also give you emotional stability by regulating your mood and sleep.
13 – Don’t Neglect Your Diet
You cannot just simply turn your eyes away at the type of food habit you have. If your food is lacking the needed nutrition it can cause you both physical and mental health problems.
“Be mindful about what’s on your plate because that will determine what will happen to you and within you.”
14 – Don’t Use Alcohol And Drugs
Stay away from alcohol and drugs as you stay away from a catastrophe. You generally drink for any given reason but, if depression, loneliness, and SAD are some of them, they will further provoke you to drink more thus, leaving you in a vicious circle of drinking and deteriorating your overall well-being.
Keep away for your own good and the good of others.
15 – Maintain A Journal
Keeping a journal will help you outpour your thoughts and feelings. Maybe you can’t share some things, feelings, and thoughts even with your closest confidants but, you can definitely write them down without any fear of being judged.
Maintaining a journal can help by giving you less stress and anxiety and more soothe and serenity.
SAD Treatment has been aforementioned you can apply any or a few of them together of course, by discussing and consulting with your respective healthcare provider and in their supervision.
I hope this will help you in coping with your SAD and lift your soul up in the face of seasonal depression.
Kindly let me know in the comment section whether you are benefitted from this article or not.
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Thank You!