Brain
What Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Is and Is Not
by Dr. Jesse Viner of Yellowbrick
Many people will blame bad moods and depression this time of year on the lack of sunlight throughout the day. The medical term for this is called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD for short. Most people don’t quite understand exactly what Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD entails. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression that is commonly associated with late fall and the cold winter months of the year. The disorder is thought to be caused by the lack of sunlight. An estimated 10 million Americans are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder with another 1-2 million being affected by a more mild form of SAD.
Dr. Viner of Yellowbrick has put together a really informative graphic that is meant to shed more light on Seasonal Affective Disorder. The graphic can be seen here. The graphic covers what exactly SAD is, the SAD links to other Psychological Disorders, symptoms and treatments along with common myths associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Many myths are prevalent with SAD because there isn’t a ton of research around SAD. SAD is a serious depressive condition that’s recognized by mental professionals as a legitimate mental disorder. This graphic will help educate you on whether or not you might be experiencing symptoms of SAD and how you can go about treat it.