Seasonal Affective Disorder Remedies and Treatment

Remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) start with daily habits: get as much natural daylight as you can, exercise regularly, stay in touch with friends and family, and keep regular sleep and wake times. When symptoms make daily life hard or come back every year, talk with a provider about treatment, such as antidepressant medication.

What is seasonal affective disorder?

Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression with a recurrent seasonal pattern. For most people, symptoms start in late fall or early winter and ease in spring and summer. This is called winter-pattern SAD, or winter depression. A less common summer pattern brings symptoms in the spring and summer instead. SAD is a medical condition, and treatment can help.

Is it the winter blues or SAD?

Many people feel down, or have the winter blues, when the days get shorter. SAD is more serious. It can affect how you feel, think and act, and it comes back around the same time each year. SAD follows daylight hours, not the calendar, so it is not the same as the stress some people feel around the holidays.

Symptoms of SAD

SAD has the symptoms of depression, which can include:

• low mood
• losing interest in things you usually enjoy
• feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
• feeling restless or irritable
• trouble concentrating
• thoughts of suicide or self-harm (see the crisis information below)

Each pattern also has signs of its own.

Winter-pattern SAD (winter depression)

Winter-pattern SAD can also bring:

• oversleeping
• overeating, especially craving carbohydrates, and weight gain
• pulling away from other people, which some describe as feeling like hibernating

Read more in our guide to sleep and mental health.

Summer-pattern SAD

Summer-pattern SAD can bring different signs:

• trouble sleeping
• poor appetite and weight loss
• restlessness and agitation
• anxiety
• violent or aggressive behavior

Remedies for seasonal affective disorder

Remedies work on two levels: what you can do yourself, and treatment from a provider. They can be used alone or together.

Self-care you can start today

These everyday steps can help with SAD symptoms:

• Get as much natural daylight as you can. Try to go outside in the daytime every day.
• Get regular exercise.
• Stay in contact with friends and family.
• Keep up your usual activities.
• Go to bed and wake up at the same times every day.
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol, and avoid phones and other screens right before bed.

If these steps are not enough, or your symptoms are getting worse, talk with a provider.

Treatment from a provider

Antidepressant medication can treat SAD in both the winter and the summer pattern. It usually takes 4 to 8 weeks to work. A provider can talk with you about the benefits, risks and timing of treatment. All medications can have side effects, so do not start or stop one without talking to a provider. Premier's providers offer medication management for SAD when it is appropriate.

Psychotherapy is another treatment for SAD. Premier does not provide psychotherapy or counseling.

How to prevent seasonal depression

If you have had SAD before, plan ahead. Because it tends to return at the same time each year, people with a history of SAD might benefit from starting treatment before the season begins. Few studies have tested this, so ask a provider whether it makes sense for you, and when to start. Keep up the self-care steps through the fall, too. Many people need treatment every winter to stop symptoms from coming back.

What causes SAD?

Researchers are still working out what causes SAD. Research links it to shorter daylight hours. Less daylight may lower the activity of serotonin, a brain chemical that helps regulate mood. It may also change the levels of melatonin, a hormone that helps control sleep.

Who is more likely to get SAD

SAD is more common:

• in women
• in people who live farther north, where winter days are shorter
• in people with depression or bipolar disorder, especially bipolar II

It usually begins in young adulthood. People with SAD often have another condition as well, such as ADHD, an anxiety disorder or panic disorder.

How SAD is diagnosed

A provider will usually ask about your moods and how they change over time, and may ask you to fill out a questionnaire. SAD is diagnosed when depression symptoms come in the same season for at least 2 years in a row. They also come more often in that season than at other times of the year. Not everyone with SAD has symptoms every year.

A psychiatric evaluation also looks at your wider history, including whether bipolar disorder could be part of the picture, since SAD is more common in people with bipolar disorder. An evaluation does not guarantee a diagnosis or a prescription.

When to see a psychiatrist

Make an appointment if:

• you think you might have SAD
• your mood makes work, school, relationships or daily routines hard
• the same low season keeps coming back
• you have been diagnosed with SAD and your treatment is not helping

Seasonal affective disorder treatment at Premier Psychiatry

At Premier Psychiatry, care for SAD is part of our depression treatment. It starts with a psychiatric evaluation, followed by medication management when it is appropriate. You can be seen at our Orland Park office, our Willowbrook office, or by telehealth for patients located in Illinois or Indiana during the visit. Availability varies by provider. Use the booking options below to call or request an appointment online.

Questions about seasonal affective disorder

Can you get seasonal depression in the fall?

Yes. Winter-pattern seasonal affective disorder (SAD) usually starts in late fall or early winter, as the days get shorter. It then eases in spring and summer, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). If your mood drops around the same time each fall, mention it to a provider, even if it lifts later.

How do you beat the winter blues?

The everyday steps used for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can help: get daylight every day, exercise regularly, stay in touch with friends and family, and keep regular sleep and wake times. The winter blues are common and milder than SAD. If low mood affects daily life or returns every year, talk with a provider.

Can anxiety be seasonal?

Yes. Anxiety can be a symptom of summer-pattern seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the less common form that comes in spring and summer, with trouble sleeping and restlessness. People with SAD also often have an anxiety disorder or panic disorder. If worry or panic follows a seasonal pattern, a provider can help work out the cause.

Does seasonal affective disorder ever go away?

Usually only for part of the year. Winter-pattern seasonal affective disorder (SAD) tends to ease in spring and summer, then return the next fall or winter. Not everyone has symptoms every year. Many people need treatment each winter to keep symptoms from coming back, so plan with a provider before the season starts.

Is seasonal affective disorder a form of bipolar disorder?

No. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression, not a form of bipolar disorder. But SAD is more common in people with bipolar disorder, especially bipolar II. Bipolar II involves periods of depression and periods of unusually high energy or mood (hypomania). That is one reason a psychiatric evaluation matters before treatment starts.