Seasonal Affective Disorder and Complementary Health Approaches | NCCIH

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Complementary Health Approaches | NCCIH

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Complementary Health Approaches (January 2019 Issue of Clinical Digest)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons, typically starts in the late fall and early winter and goes away during the spring and summer. Depressive episodes linked to the summer can occur but are much less common than winter episodes of SAD. Some of the symptoms of the winter pattern of SAD include having low energy, overeating, craving carbohydrates, and social withdrawal. Light therapy has become a standard treatment of SAD, and antidepressants have also been shown to improve SAD symptoms.