{"id":27714,"date":"2022-11-02T13:50:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T20:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adhdonline.com\/?p=21421"},"modified":"2024-06-05T20:57:29","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T00:57:29","slug":"what-people-with-adhd-should-know-about-seasonal-affective-disorder-winter-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adhdonline.com\/articles\/what-people-with-adhd-should-know-about-seasonal-affective-disorder-winter-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"What People With ADHD Should Know About Seasonal Affective Disorder (Winter Depression)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Millennial<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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By Barbara Brody<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Clinically reviewed by Dr. Raafia Muhammad, MD, MPH<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As memories of summer fade away and the days get shorter and darker, your outlook and attitude might also become a bit gloomier. That’s not unusual. In fact, a 2018 study published in the journal Cell<\/em> uncovered a circuit between light-sensing cells in the eyes and regions of the brain that impact how happy or sad you are. But there’s a difference between feeling a little down and becoming seriously depressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people experience ‘winter blues,’ which is a slight mood shift or sluggishness due to colder weather and less sunshine,” says Deborah Serani, PsyD<\/a>, a psychologist and professor at Adelphi University in New York. \u201cBut seasonal affective disorder is a type of depressive mood disorder that has a significant impact on your daily functioning.”<\/p>\n

You should suspect that you might have moved into seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, territory if you meet the criteria for clinical depression<\/a> primarily during the fall and winter months. Common symptoms include persistent feelings of sadness (lasting at least two weeks); changes in sleep habits; extreme fatigue; and loss of interest in activities that you used to enjoy. Some people with clinical depression or SAD even think about suicide.<\/p>\n

Anyone can develop SAD, but people with ADHD are among those who seem to have an above-average risk. Experts believe up to 3% of the general population suffers from SAD, according to MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. But among those with ADHD, it might be far higher. One 2006 study conducted by a group of researchers from the Netherlands, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders<\/i> , found that at least 27% of those with ADHD also have SAD. The same study found that for ADHD patients who have a history of mood disorders (such as major depression and bipolar disorder), the risk of SAD was as high as 61%.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere appears to be an overlapping of neurochemistry and brain structure functioning that ADHD and SAD share,” says Serani. She notes that research has found that disruptions to natural circadian rhythms \u2014 the internal body clock that tells you when to get sleepy and when to feel active \u2014 are associated with ADHD symptoms.<\/p>\n

Signs of SAD<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

SAD, which is sometimes called winter depression, is officially known as \u201cmajor depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern.” It can actually happen during other seasons as well, though the most prevelant form is winter depression. It is characterized by a major change in mood and functioning that occurs when there are fewer daylight hours. If left untreated, it can sometimes cause problems in the following spring or summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people present with complaints of a significant drop off in mood and energy levels when the days start to become shorter,” says Drew Pate, MD<\/a>, chief of psychiatry at LifeBridge Health in Maryland. Some feel more tearful or have increased anxiety<\/a>, find it hard to get out of bed, or withdraw from others socially.<\/p>\n

Sleeping too much and feeling worthless or hopeless are also common symptoms, Pate says. Many people go through several winters before noticing the pattern and deciding to seek help, he says.<\/p>\n

While SAD is, by definition, seasonal in nature, Dr. Pate adds that some people who have it experience milder depressive symptoms during other times of the year. However, they don’t feel severely depressed until the days become shorter. <\/b><\/p>\n

The exact cause of SAD is unknown, but lack of sunlight seems to be a major factor for people who are predisposed to it. Experts believe that sun exposure helps regulate a feel-good mood chemical in the brain called serotonin; when serotonin levels falls, it may trigger depression.<\/p>\n

Less sun exposure might also prompt your body to make more melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleepiness and that your body releases when it’s dark outside. This change, along with others related to sleep and hormones, can interfere with your circadian rhythms and, in turn, throw your mood out of whack. And if you have ADHD, you may be especially susceptible to the fallout.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people with ADHD have trouble with healthy sleeping patterns year-round. Seasonal changes can make their sleep problems even worse,” says Monalisa McGee-Baratta, PhD<\/a>, program chair of the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Phoenix.<\/p>\n

\u201cSleep affects our brain chemistry,” she explains. \u201cTrouble falling asleep or staying asleep makes it harder to focus the next day. When we don’t get enough sleep, we have less energy and feel more depressed.”<\/p>\n

Treatment and prevention <\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Anything you might do to ward off depression in general \u2014 including reaching out to friends, eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise \u2014 may reduce the risk of developing the winter blues as well as SAD. But morning light exposure is also critical.<\/p>\n

Here are some treatment and prevention tips:<\/p>\n