What are the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Symptoms of depression
When symptoms develop in the winter, they are similar to those that occur in others type of depression. The following is a list of common symptoms of depression. You may not have them all, but several usually develop.
- Low mood for most of the day, nearly every day. Things always seem 'black'.
- Loss of enjoyment and interest in life, even for activities that you normally enjoy.
- Abnormal sadness, often with weepiness.
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or uselessness.
- Poor motivation. Even simple tasks seem difficult.
- Poor concentration. It may be difficult to read, work, etc.
- Sleeping problems. These include:
Sometimes difficulty in getting off to sleep.
Sometimes waking early and unable to get back to sleep.
Sleeping too much sometimes occurs (particularly in SAD - see below).*Lacking in energy, always tired.
- Difficulty with affection, including going off sex.
- Poor appetite and weight loss. Sometimes the reverse happens with increased eating and weight gain. (People with SAD often put on weight - see below.)
- Irritability, agitation, or restlessness.
- Symptoms often seem worse first thing each day.
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, palpitations, chest pains, and general aches and pains.
- Recurrent thoughts of death. This is not usually a fear of death, more a preoccupation with death and dying. Some people get suicidal ideas - "life's not worth living".
Depression is different to the 'ups and downs' from day-to-day that we all have. With depression, symptoms occur each day for at least two weeks. Symptoms also become severe enough to interfere with day-to-day functions. Work and relationships may suffer.
See our separate info on 'Depression' for more details about the condition.
Average rating:
Mike Cooke, about 1 year
I feel that I suffer from SAD even though my GP dismisses it , prefering to believe that as he comes from the India sub continent where Dark nights are common and unlit there is no significant incidence. I even have been denied my light box in work claiming it would be stealing electricity ! The Incidence of Ignorance is so common its hard to countenance anybody who could prove it at Employment Tribunal when I lost my job under the influence of Fluoxetine 60-80mg I forgot to collect my mobile with the DWP Sim card within and despit its safe recovery I've been sacked for not reporting it lost ! So much for the organisation which claims to be positive towards dissability !!
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