Seasonal Affect Disorder

Thought to be slight depression more prevalent in fall/winter months. Treatments include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Some clinical studies indicate the effects are most beneficial when combined with Light Therapy.

What is Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD)? Seasonal affect disorder is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons. SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

Treatment for SAD – Treatment for SAD has included Light Therapy in the past. Mental health experts are now finding that a combination of Light Therapy and Cognitive Therapy Behavioral are beneficial in “beating the Winter blues”.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common type of talk therapy (psychotherapy). You work with a mental health counselor. CBT helps you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way. NOTE – THE SAME TECHNIQUES AS SMART RECOVERY !

CBT typically includes these steps:

• Identify troubling situations or conditions in your life. These may include such issues as a medical condition, divorce, grief, anger or symptoms of a mental health disorder. In this case depression due to change in the season.
• Become aware of your thoughts, emotions and beliefs about these problems. Once you’ve identified the problems to work on, your therapist will encourage you to share your thoughts about them. This may include observing what you tell yourself about an experience (self-talk), your interpretation of the meaning of a situation, and your beliefs about yourself, other people and events. Your therapist may suggest that you keep a journal of your thoughts.
• Identify negative or inaccurate thinking. To help you recognize patterns of thinking and behavior that may be contributing to your problem, your therapist may ask you to pay attention to your physical, emotional and behavioral responses in different situations.
• Reshape negative or inaccurate thinking. Your therapist will likely encourage you to ask yourself whether your view of a situation is based on fact or on an inaccurate perception of what’s going on. This step can be difficult. You may have long-standing ways of thinking about your life and yourself. With practice, helpful thinking and behavior patterns will become a habit and won’t take as much effort.

Light Therapy – From Mayo Clinic Website

Light therapy is a way to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and certain other conditions by exposure to artificial light. SAD is a type of depression that occurs at a certain time each year, usually in the fall or winter.

During light therapy, you sit or work near a device called a light therapy box. The box gives off bright light that mimics natural outdoor light.

Light therapy is thought to affect brain chemicals linked to mood and sleep, easing SAD symptoms. Using a light therapy box may also help with other types of depression, sleep disorders and other conditions. Light therapy is also known as bright light therapy or phototherapy.

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