Feeling flat this winter?

WE are in the thick of winter now, not an end in sight, just yet. Your mood may start to plummet with the lack of sunshine and living in a constant fog.

This can be a real thing for some, its called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

SAD is a mood disorder that has a seasonal pattern, the most common season this depression can occur is winter.

The symptoms can include a lack of energy, sleeping too much, over eating and craving carbohydrates, gaining weight, and loosing interest in activities that you usually enjoy.

SAD can also occur in the spring and summer months, this is known as summer pattern SAD or summer depression.

Summer depression is less common that the general winter SAD.

According to Beyond Blue SAD is thought to be related to the variation in light exposure in different seasons, its usually diagnosed after you’ve had the same symptoms during winter for at least two years.

It is believed that it may be caused by changes to the body’s circadian rhythm.

SAD is well documented in medical literature, particularly in the northern latitudes, it is still noted SAD is very rare in Australia and its more likely to affect people in countries with shorter days and longer periods of darkness.

In the Southern Hemisphere it seems there is a lack of documentation and research on SAD, and since there is such a vast range of climates across Australia it’s difficult to get a general consensus of SAD.

Despite this, it still is documented in Australia, but due to lack of…

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