Seasonal affective disorder

Introduction: Seasonal affective disorder

Description of Seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (medical condition): Seasonal affective disorder is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, repeatedly, year after year.

See also:

Summer affective disorder:
  »Introduction: Summer affective disorder
  »Symptoms of Summer affective disorder
  »Causes of Summer affective disorder
  »Treatments for Summer affective disorder

Seasonal affective disorder: specific disorder usually appearing in the second or third decade, characterized by symptoms of depression between late fall and early spring, sometimes followed by mania or hypomania; intense light is reportedly therapeutic.
Source: Diseases Database

Seasonal affective disorder: specific disorder usually appearing in the second or third decade, characterized by symptoms of depression between late fall and early spring, sometimes followed by mania or hypomania; intense light is reportedly therapeutic.
Source: CRISP

Seasonal affective disorder: A syndrome characterized by depressions that recur annually at the same time each year, usually during the winter months. Other symptoms include anxiety, irritability, decreased energy, increased appetite (carbohydrate cravings), increased duration of sleep, and weight gain. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) can be treated by daily exposure to bright artificial lights (PHOTOTHERAPY), during the season of recurrence.
Source: MeSH 2007

Seasonal affective disorder: Related Topics

These medical condition or symptom topics may be relevant to medical information for Seasonal affective disorder:

• Affective disorder
• Affective
• Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder as a Disease

Seasonal affective disorder: Another name for Summer affective disorder (or close medical condition association).
  »Introduction: Summer affective disorder
  »Symptoms of Summer affective disorder
  »Causes of Summer affective disorder
  »Treatments for Summer affective disorder

Causes of Seasonal affective disorder

Some of the causes of Seasonal affective disorder are included in the list below:

• Lack of serotonin, and serotonin polymorphisms could play a role in SAD
• Another theory is that the cause may be related to melatonin which is produced in dim light and darkness by the pineal gland
• Seasonal mood variations are believed to be related to light
• Mutation of a gene expressing melanopsin has been implicated in the risk of having Seasonal Affective Disorder

Read more about causes of Seasonal affective disorder (Summer affective disorder)

Symptoms of Seasonal affective disorder (Summer affective disorder)

Some of the symptoms of Seasonal affective disorder incude:

• Excessive sleep
• Have little energy
• Crave sweets and starchy foods
• Feeling melancholic
• Depressive episodes at a particular time of the year

See full list of 8 symptoms of Seasonal affective disorder (Summer affective disorder)

Treatments for Seasonal affective disorder (Summer affective disorder)

Treatments for Seasonal affective disorder (Summer affective disorder) include:

• Light therapies with bright lights
• Anti-depression medication
• Ionized-air administration
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Carefully timed supplementation of the hormone melatonin

See full list of 6 treatments for Seasonal affective disorder

Treatment of Seasonal affective disorder: For more treatment information about Seasonal affective disorder, see treatment of Summer affective disorder (Seasonal affective disorder)

Seasonal affective disorder as a Symptom

Seasonal affective disorder (symptom): See Seasonal affective disorder (symptom information).

More information on symptom: Seasonal affective disorder:

• Seasonal affective disorder

Terms associated with Seasonal affective disorder:

Terms Similar to Seasonal affective disorder:

• SAD

Source: Diseases Database

• Seasonal Mood Disorder

Source - MeSH 2007

Broader terms for Seasonal affective disorder

• Depressive Disorder

Source - MeSH 2007

• mood disorder

Source - CRISP

The term Seasonal affective disorder can be used for:

• seasonal depression

Source: CRISP

Other terms that may be related to Seasonal affective disorder:

• bioperiodicity
• photobiology

Source: CRISP

Hierarchical classifications of Seasonal affective disorder

The following list attempts to classify Seasonal affective disorder into categories where each line is subset of the next.

MeSH 2007 Hierarchy:

• Mental Disorders
  • Mood Disorders
    • Depressive Disorder
      • Seasonal Affective Disorder

Interesting Medical Articles:

• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Research Your Symptoms
• Diseases & Medical Conditions
• Medical Diagnosis
• [Full list of premium articles on symptoms, diseases, and diagnosis]

Medical dictionaries:

• Medical dictionary,
• Medical Acronymns/Abbreviations

More Medical Dictionary Topics

Other diagnostic procedures on teeth, gums, and alveoli

Find out more

Search to find out more about Seasonal affective disorder:

powered by Search the Web Search wrongdiagnosis.com

 » Next page: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Rate This Website

What do you think about the features of this website? Take our user survey and have your say:

Website User Survey

Medical Tools & Articles:

Tools & Services:

• Bookmark this page
• Symptom Search
• Symptom Checker
• Medical Dictionary
• Give your feedback

Medical Articles:

• Disease & Treatments Search
• Misdiagnosis Center
• Full list of interesting articles

Forums & Message Boards

• Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
• I cannot get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for my condition?
• See all the Boards.

Enter your search terms Submit search form
Search The Web Search wrongdiagnosis.com

Common Health Mistakes

Symptom
Checker

Search Specialists by State and City