Seasonal affective disorder, abbreviated as SAD, is a specific type of depression that occurs during the winter months. During that time of the year when there is less sunlight exposure, seasonal affective disorder affects both your mood and behavior. Besides the traditional treatments of medication and therapy for depression, you can also use light therapy as a way to treat your symptoms.
Medication
As with other types of depression, seasonal affective disorder can be treated with medication. According to the Mayo Clinic, while symptoms of seasonal affective disorder occur during the months in which there is less sunlight, your doctor may suggest year-round medication or lower dosage during months that you are not experiencing symptoms. Antidepressants are most commonly used, though other types of psychiatric medications can be tried if you do not respond to antidepressants. The FDA has approved an extended release antidepressant for the specific treatment of seasonal affective disorder---bupropian, which is marketed under the brand name Wellbutrin XL. Other antidepressant medications that you can use are paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac and Sarafem) and venlafaxine (Effexor).
Light Therapy
According to the Mayo Clinic, because the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder are caused by the lack of sunlight, exposure to various light sources can ease your symptoms. When artificial light is used as a treatment, it causes a biochemical change in the brain, as natural light does; this biochemical change should lead to an alleviation of your depressive mood. The artificial light is in a special box, which you place near you, and the box emits a bright light. Because the therapy relies only on light, there are few side effects.
However, despite the apparent benefits from light therapy, this type of treatment has not been approved by the FDA. Not enough evidence has been found in clinical trials on the effectiveness of this treatment for seasonal affective disorder. Nevertheless, light therapy is an alternative treatment if you choose not to use medication. In addition, light therapy only needs to be used during low sunlight months when your symptoms are at their worst.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is another way that you can deal with seasonal affective disorder without using medication. Psychotherapy attempts to reveal internal negativity and change these thoughts to make you feel better. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, a combination of medication and psychotherapy produce better results in the improvement of symptoms than just psychotherapy alone.
Tags: seasonal affective, seasonal affective disorder, affective disorder, affective disorder, light therapy