Seasonal Affective Disorder, also called SAD, affects more than 3 million people in the US every year. It’s a form of depression that doesn’t last, and it most commonly occurs around the end of fall or beginning of winter and ends during the spring or summer. It’s said that it is caused by the weather, but there are a lot of ways to cope.
Some people don’t know what Seasonal Affective Disorder is. Rylen Little, a student at Roseburg High, pointed out that he knows “absolutely nothing.”
The definition of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) on Dictionary.com is “Depression associated with late autumn and winter and thought to be caused by a lack of light.” Some things that can help with SAD are going outside with fresh air soaking up the sun, opening window blinds to bring natural sunlight in, and bundling up since it is cold out. Light therapy, psychotherapy, and medications can also help.
Leslie Olson, the Registered Nurse at RHS, said “A higher number of teens have anxiety and depression, as well as other mental health concerns than specifically having Seasonal Affective Disorder. I would assume there would be a big part of teens not getting enough vitamin D that might turn into S.A.D.”
Elian Martinez, a student from RHS, said that when they are sad, “I tend to isolate myself, which isn’t the healthiest but it’s what I do.” They have already noticed Seasonal Affective Disorder is “getting more popular; I’m noticing more people getting affected.” Despite the perception that more people are being affected, there is simply more awareness now than in the past. Seasonal Affective Disorder is not a fad.
Jesse Haggans, the campus monitor, says, “I play music,” when feeling down. Expressing emotions with something so deep is a healthy way to cope with sadness.
Light therapy is a box they put you in with uv rays that some people feel more juvenate from.Maycolinic.org gives us a better understanding of light therapy. It’s a box “mimicking outdoor light.” It is said that this “type of light may cause a chemical change in the brain” to lift a person’s mood. It exposes the user 10,000 lux’s of light.
Psychotherapy (also called talk therapy) helps people identify their troubled emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. It can be one on one or with a group as the National Institute of Health points out.