MedicineNet.com
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Health and Living Health news and views MedTerms medical dictionary
Font Size
A
A
A


What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Revising Medical Author: Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD
Revising Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

What is seasonal affective disorder?

Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that tends to occur (and recur) as the days grow shorter in the fall and winter. It is believed that affected persons react adversely to the decreasing amounts of light and the colder temperatures as the fall and winter progress. It is important to note that although seasonal affective disorder usually presents in the fall and winter, there are those who suffer from this condition during the summer instead of, or in addition to, during the fall or winter.

Seasonal affective disorder has not been long recognized as a medical condition. The term first appeared in print in 1985. Seasonal affective disorder is also sometimes called winter depression, winter blues, or the hibernation reaction.

The incidence of seasonal affective disorder increases in people who are living farther away from the equator. Seasonal affective disorder is less common where there is snow on the ground. Seasonal affective disorder is more common in women than men. People of all ages can develop seasonal affective disorder.



Next: What are the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder? »

Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • Antidepressants - Read about the differnent types of antidepressants (used to treat depression) their side effects, drug interactions, and warnings and precautions.
  • Depression - Read about depression causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and types, including manic depression (bipolar disorder), postpartum depression and clinical depression.
  • Insomnia - Learn about the types of insomnia, what causes it, and treatments such as medication, relaxation exercises, sleep hygeien, non-medical treatments.

Latest Medical News


Emotional Wellness

Get tips on therapy and treatment.




Symptoms & Signs A-Z List Pinpoint Your Symptoms - Start Now Symptoms & Signs A-Z List Symptoms & Signs by Female Body Region Symptoms & Signs by Male Body Region

Topics Related to Seasonal Affective Disorder


Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
RSS FeedSpecialty RSS       Add to My Yahoo! What is this?

Antidepressant Side EffectsAntidepressant Side Effects
A new study says over half of all people treated with antidepressants stop taking them because of side effects. See more WebMD Videos »







Top 4
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Related Articles







Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Health & Living | News & Views | Medical Dictionary

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Cancer | Diabetes | Digestion | Healthy Kids | Heart | Men's Health | Mental Health | Women's Health | More...

Publications:

ePublications (PDFs) | XML News via RSS | Audio Podcasts | Email Newsletters

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Search Help | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2009 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.