Is Seasonal Affective Disorder Different From Depression?
Yes, since it comes in fall and leaves in spring – and light therapy is often all it takes to relieve symptoms
By David Levine, Contributor |Oct. 24, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.
Fall has fallen upon us, and while that brings with it some wonderful seasonal treats –apples, cider donuts, colorful foliage, football – it also means shorter days, longer nights, the advent of winter and, for many, the risk of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.
SAD is both similar to and different from other forms of depression, and no one knows that better than Dr. Norman Rosenthal, who “discovered” the medical condition after he noticed its effects on himself. Rosenthal, clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine and author of “Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder,” came to the U.S. from his native South Africa in 1976 to complete his psychiatry residency in New York City. “For the first time, I experienced marked seasonal changes in myself,” he says. “I slowed down, was less productive, felt less creative. When summer came, I wondered what that fuss was all about.”
https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2017-10-24/is-seasonal-affective-disorder-different-from-depression
