Seasonal affective disorder

Does season really change mood? Yes. We all feel sad in certain times. If the depression occurs at the same time every year, it is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It generally happens in the late fall and in early winter. Some think SAD is winter depression but SAD can occur in any season of the year.

SAD can happen for darkness, changes in biological clock, SAD history in family tree, high melatonin (a hormone produced by brain that helps the body to sleep), low melatonin, changes in weather and temperature etc. SAD symptoms defers from one person to another. But the common symptoms are -- feeling hopeless, worthless, weight loss or weight gain, low mood, social withdrawal, anxiety, having difficulty of sleeping or oversleeping, low energy, having difficulty of concentrating, tendency of committing suicide etc.

There are many ways we can avoid seasonal affective disorder. We should try those ways before anything bad happens.

Amena Akther Farhana

Mirpur Government High

School, Dhaka

[email protected]