Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder a form of depression

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As Shakespeare put it in Richard III, “Now is the winter of our discontent.”

Some students dislike winter enough to develop winter depression, a variant of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Elizabeth Meadows, CMU associate professor of psychology, said diagnostically, SAD is a subtype for major depression.

Two of these symptoms include a loss of interest in most things and general sadness.

“If you get depressed during fall and winter, it’s something that is treatable,” Meadows said. “There are a number of different cognitive treatment therapies.”

As defined by the American Academy of Family Physicians, SAD is a type of depression that follows the seasons. The most common type of SAD is called winter depression, lasting through late fall or early winter until spring or summer.

One of the treatment therapies offered by CMU are lightbox appointments.

Dr. Sarah Yonder, a University Health Services physician, said a light therapy box is offered by CMU for students to make appointments to use, though it is not considered a full treatment for SAD.

“It is best to be seen by a medical professional for the diagnosis since medicine may be needed,” Yonder said. “If people just have the ‘winter blues,’ and the symptoms are affecting their daily life, they can use the light therapy box without seeing a provider here. Just call health services and make a light box appointment.”

Yonder said University Health Services has a health educator that will help the student at their appointment. If a student has several symptoms of SAD, they should seek additional health care.

Antidepressants, counseling and light therapy may be additional prescribed methods of treatment for SAD.

Both Meadows and Yonder agree that though light treatments may help those affected by SAD cope with depression symptoms, using tanning as a treatment for winter depression is not a good idea.

“I would suggest that the tradeoff between depression and cancer isn’t a good one,” Meadows said. “We know that tanning can produce cancer. Risk-wise, I think that a light box, which won’t lead to cancer, would be better.”

Though the AAFP estimates between 4 and 6 percent of people have been diagnosed with winter depression, another 10 to 20 percent may have mild SAD.

Because symptoms of winter depression and SAD vary from person to person, the condition is often hard to diagnose.

“I can’t tell you how many folks at CMU are affected since not all of them seek care,” Yonder said.