Winter depression syndrome

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It is a type of depression also called Seasonal affective or winter blues disorder which occur in the month winter. Women are affected more than men.

The exact cause of winter depression syndrome still unknown but thought to be chemical changes in brain caused by changes in the amount of sunlight.

Symptoms:

1. Depressed mood
2. Lost of interest in usually enjoyable activities
3. Fatigue
4. Poor concentration
5. Thoughts of death or suicide
6. Sleeping more
7. Weight gain
8. Irritability
9. Behavior disturbance

The symptoms of SAD come back every year, and for any specific person, they tend to come and go at about the same time each year.

Diagnostic criteria :

The Seasonal Pattern Specifier must meet four criteria: depressive episodes at a particular time of the year; remissions or mania/hypomania also at a characteristic time of year; these patterns must have lasted two years with no nonseasonal major depressive episodes during that same period; and these seasonal depressive episodes outnumber other depressive episodes throughout the patient’s lifetime.

Treatment:

Patient is treated with

• Bright light therapy.
• antidepressant medication(serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs (for example, Prozac and Zolof)
• psychological therapy

Reference:

1. www.netdoctor.co.uk
2. en.wikipedia.org/
3. www.emedicinehealth.com

Filed Under: Psychology

Tags: featured, mood disorder, what is winter depression syndrome, Winter depression syndrome