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Seasonal affective disorder research paper
Different perspectives on seasonal affective disorder
Seasonal affective disorder research paper
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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.
Major depressive disorder is a mood disorder characterized by the DSM-5 of depressed mood and markedly diminished interest or pleasure in nearly all activities occurring nearly every day, for most of the day, as indicated by a subjective self-report or an observational report from others. Individuals who have depression also tend to experience significant weight loss, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation, fatigue and loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, diminished ability to concentrate, and recurrent thoughts of death. Most people who suffer from depression usually experience major depressive episodes in unipolar major depression, while some others experience both depressive and manic episodes in bipolar
Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Clear Link Between the Outside and the Inside of the Brain
In the summer of 2013 I experienced nine days of the pure Alaskan terrain alongside one-hundred or so fellow cadets, learning about teamwork and leadership that would aid me in my future endeavors; or so said the forms my parents all-too-willingly signed, and I reluctantly and with careful uncertainty did so as well. I was an excellent cadet—involved in all community service opportunities as possible, participating in all color guard presentations possible, and dedicating two extra hours in my mornings to drilling my feet sore for the sake of maintaining the Eagle River High School’s reputable drill team status. But my one deficiency that grayed my instructor’s heads and made me appear less accomplished with my missing ribbons that were on my peers’ uniforms was my avoidance of any and all wilderness activities. “Winter Survival Where You Get To Freeze All Night And Have To Walk A Mile To The Bathroom And Make Sure You Bring A Buddy And A Flashlight?” I think not. “Summer Leadership School With No Showers And Porta-Potties And Wild Bears Ransacking Your Personal Belongings?” I’ll enjoy the comforts of my home, thank you very much.
"Prevalence of mood disorders in a national sample of young American adults." Soc Psychiatry. Psychiatr Epidemiol 38(11): 618-624. Lee, C. V., S. W. McDermott, et al. a. The '90s.
middle of paper ... ... Retrieved June 16, 2002, from http://nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm. National Mental Health Association. 2000 May 15.
significant changes in seasonal affective disorders (Keyworth et al., 2014). In a recent study of
During the winter, many of us suffer from "the winter blues", a less severe form of seasonal depression than SAD. Still others are sufferers have an already existent condition, such as pre-menstrual syndrome or depression, which is exacerbated by the coming of the winter. (2). In general, many people suffer from some form of sporadic depression during the wintertime. We may feel more tired and sad at times. We may even gain some weight or have trouble getting out of bed. Over 10 million people in America, however, may feel a more extreme form of these symptoms. They may constantly feel lethargic and depressed to an extent that social and work related activities are negatively affected. This more extreme form of the "winter blues" is SAD. Typical SAD symptoms include sugar cravings, lethargy, depression, an increase in body weight, and a greater need for sleep (1). Onset of these symptoms usually occurs in October or November, and the symptoms disappear in early spring. Frequently, people who suffer from SAD react strongly to variations in the amount of light in their surrounding environment. Most often, patients who suffer from SAD and live at more northern latitudes note that the more north they live, the more distinct and severe their SAD symptoms become. In addition, SAD patients note that their depressive symptoms increase in severity when the amount of light indoors decreases and the weather is cloudy.
“In depressive disorders, sadness and despondency are exaggerated, prolonged, or unreasonable. Signs of a depressive disorder are dejection, hopelessness, and an inability to feel pleasure or to take interest in anything. Other common symptoms are fatigue,...
"Depression." NMH - Depression. National Institute of Mental Health. 1, 3. Web. 6 April 2014.
We all know the ups and downs in our life. Sadness is a normal reaction to events that we may encounter in life. It is sad for a short period and then the disappointment eventually go away and life resumed. But when sadness persists, it interferes with your ability to work, study, eat, sleep or play, that is not a normal situation. This is a depression!
... “Seasonal affective disorder.” nih.gov. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. The Web. The Web.
The silent killer that takes lives without warning, punishment, or any sympathy; depression is truly one of the most prominent mental illnesses in the world. Depression is defined as a mental illness inducing a severe and staunch feeling of sadness. The term depressed is coined in English as a temporary sadness that everyone experiences in their life. Despite that depression is more active in women, it is still one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. It affects anybody, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic standing. Regardless of all these facts, surprisingly little is known about depression, however, scientists have been able to hypothesize major causes, effects, and treatments for the disability affecting over
“Depression is a condition in which a person feels discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated or disinterested in life in general. When these feelings last for a short period of time, it may be a case of "the blues"” (Understanding the Facts), but when such feelings last for more than two weeks and when the feelings interfere with daily activities it is likely that you may be in a major depressive state.
Mental health refers to the state of individuals psychologically, emotionally and socially. Mental health affects a person’s emotions, feelings, thoughts, and sections when exposed to different situations. Furthermore, mental health is responsible for a person’s reaction to stress and other social conditions. Generally, mental health affects how a person relates to others and their ability to understand and interact with them. Therefore, problems that affect a person’s mental health affect the abilities to socialize, their feelings, moods, reaction to situations. The person experiencing mental health problem may portray different behaviors when confronted with different issues. Mental health issues have several
The most common of them being Major Depressive Disorder. It is characterized as an ever constant low mood and sadness and lack of interest in doing daily activities. Major Depression can occur just once during a lifetime or can occur over an extended period of time. Its symptoms include loss of energy, self-loathing, changes in weight etc. These symptoms can range from anywhere between mild and severe. (Smith & Seagal, 2016). Persistent depressive disorder or Dysthymia is a chronic depressive mood that lasts for at least two years followed by a few days where everything seems to be back to normal. This type of depression is characterized by time duration of the symptoms i.e. symptoms must last for at least two years to be considered persistent depressive disorder. (Depression, 2015). Another type of depression is Perinatal Depression. This type of depression usually occurs a few weeks before the delivery of the baby and a few weeks after the delivery of the baby. It symptoms include extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion which would hinder a new mother from taking care of her baby and herself (Depression, 2015). Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is another type of depression. This occurs when there is a change in the season from spring or summer months to the winter months. This type of depression usually resolves itself once the winter months are over and when there is an increase in