Seasonal Affective Disorder Essay

Do you ever become sad, or have trouble sleeping, and focusing in the winter, but then when it starts to get warmer, and there is more sunlight you return to being in your usual state of mind? If so, you may be experiencing symptoms of Seasonal Affective disorder, or SAD. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern. It is thought to affect roughly six percent of Americans, and women are four times as likely to be affected as men. Symptoms of SAD include changes in sleeping patterns, general fatigue, loss of pleasure, difficulty focusing, weight gain and thoughts of death or suicide; all of these symptoms are very negative and hurtful to the afflicted persons.

One major effect of Seasonal Affective Disorder is the seasonal change in sleep patterns. People who are diagnosed with SAD generally sleep for much longer periods of time during their correlating season than during the greater part of the year. Changing of sleep patterns is a common symptom of depression as well; it is only a symptom of SAD when it only occurs during a particular season. These changes can leave the patient feeling very tired. This symptom can eventually lead to sleep deprivation, which is very dangerous and even deadly.

Fatigue is another effect of SAD. Fatigue is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “Extreme tiredness, typically resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness”. Fatigue in depression is usually caused by overexertion of the mind or severe lack of sleep. Fatigue often causes people to tire quickly, or feel drained, even though they have gotten a full night’s sleep, which eventually leads to being tired all of the time.

People with depression or Seasonal Affective usually lose interest in ev...

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...mmon among teenagers and young adults who are affected by depression, and similarly Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a disorder which causes depression in winter and aforementioned depression subsides during the summer, or the opposite. It follows a seasonal pattern, so remember to keep that in mind if you ever come across symptoms, which is very possible, being as it affects six percent of all Americans. Seasonal Affective disorder affects people in the same way as depression does, and even has similar, or even common symptoms; changes in sleeping patterns, general fatigue, loss of pleasure, difficulty focusing, and thoughts of death or suicide. This seasonal disorder is a major deficit to our youth and to people of a mature age, as such; it is imperatively important that the public is educated on this affliction that affects so many.