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SAD is, indeed, quite easily treated once it’s recognized. The medical community has three ways it typically manages this variety of depression.

The first way is through antidepressant medications or other psychiatric medications.  This is usually the treatment of choice if your symptoms are severe.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the extended release tablets Wellbutrin XL – bupropion specifically for individuals affected with SAD. Your health care practitioner may prescribe you other antidepressant drugs, though. 

Other antidepressants your health care practitioner may prescribe for this type of depressive episode include paroxetine (sold as Paxil), sertraline (sold as Zoloft), fluoxetine (sold under the name brands of Prozac and Sarafem) as well as venlafaxine (sold as Effexor).

Depending on your individual symptoms, your health care physician may begin treatment even before your symptoms actually surface at the beginning of the season. He may also recommend that you continue to take this medication once your seasonal symptoms end.  The theory to this type of treatment is to prevent a worsening of the symptoms the following year.

Once you begin your treatment begins – regardless of the type of antidepressant you’re taking — the medications may take a minimum of several weeks to provide you with the full benefits.  Similarly, don’t be disappointed if the first medication doesn’t work as well as your health care physician initially thought.  It may be that you’ll have to try several antidepressants before you and your health care physician hit upon the one that works for you.

Before you agree to take any of these antidepressant medications, though, be sure you are fully aware of the adverse side effects of these drugs.  For many people, these side effects are even worse than experiencing the depression itself.  In fact, many antidepressants now carry the strongest of FDA warnings: the black box warning.  Some teenagers and young adults are at higher risk of committing suicide when taking these medications.

If you’re not quite sure that strong prescription antidepressants are the correct route for you, there are two other conventional treatments.  The first is psychotherapy. SAD is indeed a disorder that is related to the biochemical processes of your body, your mood and your behavior are also nonetheless contributing factors to the severity of your symptoms. 

Undergoing psychotherapy may help you identify and ultimately alter your negative thoughts and behaviors.  While these aren’t the primary causes of your depression, managing these aspects of your problem may provide you additional relief.

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While there are antidepressants, psychotherapy, light therapy and herbal remedies that can help alleviate the symptoms of SAD, you can also be an active part of your treatment by taking additional action. Listed below are a just a few ways you can help to lessen the severity of the depression. 

Exercise.  You’ve heard it before; exercise is a great cure for depression.  And it really doesn’t matter what the cause of the depression is. Exercise helps relieve both stress and anxiety – both of which can actually increase your SAD symptoms.  But there are added benefits as well.  Getting fit or maintaining your health level of fitness can contribute to your sense of self esteem.  This can do wonders to improve your mood.

Learn how to manage your stress. If you haven’t learned how to manage the stresses of your life, they certainly can soon become overwhelming and cause depression. Many people turn to food or switch their brains to unhealthy thoughts and negative behaviors in a misdirected attempt to cope with their stress.  It doesn’t work.

Get out more with friends.  This suggestion may not sound like what you really feel like doing when you’re depressed, but it does help. Don’t isolate yourself from the company of people who you like. Not only will getting out of the house and doing something fun help take your mind off your troubles, but it’ll provide you some additional moral support. 

Open your window blinds.  Let the sun shine in!  Sure, that’s not that much of it in the winter, but make sure you maximize your exposure while you can.  Open the blinds on sunny days. If you can, add skylights to your house.  If you house is shaded by trees, trim some of the branches to allow more light to enter.

Enjoy the outdoors.  Even in the wintertime, there are times when you can go outside and enjoy the day.  You’ll especially want to take a walk on a sunny winter day.  If it’s not too cold, try eating your lunch in the park. Or just spend some quiet time outside basking in the sun.

Care for yourself. This may seem obvious, but it needs to be said.  Don’t let the depression overwhelm you.  In spite of your feelings, continue to take care of yourself.  Make sure you get enough rest, eat healthy and take some time out for yourself – just to relax.  In fact, this is the best time to pamper yourself.  Have you ever experienced the soothing effects of a massage?  You’d be amazed how it can improve your mood – and relieve stress at the same time! Try to avoid alcohol during this time – it’ll just make you more depressed.

Take a winter vacation. If you can afford the cost and the time, take a trip!  If you’ve been plagued by SAD previously, then you might want to consider planning your vacation in the winter.  Pick a nice, warm, sunny climate.  There’s an added bonus to this:  winter rates – from airline tickets to hotel rooms – are usually much less expensive.

Follow your treatments. Whatever your health care practitioner directs, keep on doing it. If you’re taking prescription medications, continue to take them.  If you’re taking some form of psychotherapy, be sure to keep all your scheduled appointments.

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Health experts call SAD a cyclic, seasonal condition. This means that the symptoms of SAD appear at certain times during the year. At another, almost appointed time in the year wane and eventually disappear completely.

Depending on your geographic location, you may notice the initial symptoms appear in latter part of autumn or in the early months of winter. As the temperature warms and the days get longer, these symptoms eventually fade – even if they are left untreated in the intervening months.

There are instances though of people who display the opposite pattern of depression. They develop a seasonal depression with the onset of spring and summer only to have them fade when autumn comes.

Those affected with the fall and winter version of SAD display symptoms such as depression, hopelessness, difficulty in concentrating and processing information. They may also be more anxious than usual and exhibit a loss of energy. Along with these signs these individuals may also gain weight in the winter months, as they discover they have a craving for foods rich in carbohydrates.

Socially, some individuals affected with the fall and winter version of SAD, may discover that they are more withdrawn than usual, not caring to make contact with friends, families or any social obligations. Many with SAD also complain of sleeping for longer periods of time.

They symptoms associated with the spring and summer version of sad, while similar, do have some differences. The most noticeable differences are found in the patterns of sleeping and eating. Those who find they’re depressed in the spring and summer discover they’re not very interested in food and possess a poor appetite. As a consequence they experience a weight loss. They also discover that they have sleep problems some severe enough to be described as insomnia. Other symptoms of spring and summer SAD include anxiety, irritability, a noticeable display of agitation and an increased sex drive.

In addition to these two types of seasonal depression, the medical community has also identified what the medical community calls reverse SAD. The name is very much an apt description of the disorder. Instead of developing a seasonal depression, those affected with reverse SAD develop a seasonal mania or hypomania. This is a persistent elevated mood, accompanied with increased social activity and hyperactivity. These individuals also display a degree of enthusiasm that is disproportionate to the situation.

To diagnose seasonal affective disorder, health care practitioners will give you a thorough psychological evaluation. This may include questions about your mood, changes in your thoughts and behaviors as the seasons change as well as your lifestyle and your specific social situation. These professionals will also ask you about your patterns of sleeping and eating. You may also need to undergo a physical examination to rule out any underlying physical problems that may be causing either the depression or the mania.

Even with all this care, health care practitioners may still have difficulty diagnosing the disorder. Other types of depression or mental health issues may have similar symptoms to SAD. Basically, diagnosing SAD depends on a number of factors. The health care practitioner must find that you’ve experienced these symptoms for two consecutive years – during the same season. You periods of depression must be followed by periods where you display no depression. And finally, your health care practitioner must determine that there are no other explanations for the fluctuations in your mood and your behavior.

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You may notice you’re feeling blue. You’re not quite as chipper as you used to be. You try to ignore these feelings, figuring the cold weather of winter is just beginning to bring you down.

Well, you’re half right. Winter seems sometimes to get the best of us, especially if you live in the colder climates. The days are shorter and the nights are longer – and there’s the crux of your problems.

Those short days and long nights may trigger feelings of not only depression and fatigue, but also lethargy and other health problems. While you may be tempted to ignore these feelings, there are times, if they are severe enough to disrupt your daily activities, that you really shouldn’t.

You may be one of the 10 million Americans who suffer with seasonal affective disorder – appropriately known by its initials SAD. It’s a type of depression and if left untreated can seriously disrupt your daily life. However, there are simple remedies that can lessen the symptoms.

Technically, SAD is actually a subtype of a major depressive episode. The classic symptoms of depression include a decreased appetite, problems sleeping, a poor appetite and a corresponding loss in weight. Recognized in the DSM-IV, The American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual, SAD affects more women than men.

About 70 to 80 percent of those affected with seasonal affected disorder are women. Most people first develop this depression when they’re in their 30s, but some children have also been found to be affected by this disorder.

Some health experts estimate that for every person who is actually diagnosed with a “full blown” case of SAD, there are many more people who have a milder case of SAD whose symptoms have not been diagnosed. As you might expect, the incidence of SAD increases the farther north one travels. But, this trend doesn’t continue all the way up to the North Pole.

Unlike many disorders, this one may indeed be geographical in nature. But there is no clear cut geographical lines, it seems. It all depends on the reactions of the individuals. There have been instances of people who feel fine while they live in Maryland. When they move to say a more northern city, like Toronto, Canada, they develop SAD. And the opposite is true as well. A person who lives in Baltimore, Maryland may be diagnosed with SAD, but when she moves farther south to Miami her symptoms disappear naturally.

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