How to help someone with seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

The nights are drawing in, and summer is miles away—and for some of us, this means misery. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, may affect as many as one in six people in the UK.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

It’s more than the ‘winter blues’ or a feeling of sadness—it’s a major depressive disorder brought about by the lengthening periods of darkness.

It causes lethargy, low energy, difficulty waking up in the mornings and decreased concentration—it’s a serious issue, and one that can have drastic effects on productivity in the winter months.

What are the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Broadly, SAD has the same outward signs as depression:

• Persistent low mood.
• Loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities.
• Feeling irritable.
• Feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness.
• Low self-esteem.
• Feeling stressed or anxious.
• A reduced sex drive.
• Becoming less sociable.

There are some SAD-specific signs:

• Feeling less active than normal.
• Lethargy and sleepiness throughout the day.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• An increased appetite—particularly for carbs (this can cause weight gain).

There are some common, easily recognisable risk factors for seasonal affective disorder:

• Women are more likely to suffer—in fact, 1 in 5 women suffer SAD, this is 1 in 8 in men.
• It’s more common in everyone the further you get from the Equator, the lower hours of sunlight are a big contributor.
• People with a family history of depression are more likely to develop SAD.
• You’re more likely to first develop the disorder in younger life—it has even been reported in children.

The biggest and most clear difference between depression and seasonal affective disorder is the latter is linked to the changing seasons, whereas depression is year-round.

Seasonal affective disorder and depression are very similar, it’s true. But there are ways to help with SAD that don’t work with ‘ordinary’ depression.