Does Fall Give You The SADs?

Every fall like clockwork, I get a little down in the dumps when it starts getting dark earlier. For the longest time I thought it was simply that I liked summer and hated it when those long summer days grew shorter. But year after year of this phenomenon, I began to realize it was a little something more when without fail I’d get stuck in a rut that lasted from September through February. Now, knowing its name and convinced I have a mild version of it — seasonal affective disorder (with the most fitting acronym SAD) — it helps to know that a) I’m not alone, b) it can be treated, and c) it’ll get way better once spring arrives.

I’m far from alone in this, of course. Four to six percent of people may have SAD, and another 10 to 20 percent may have a mild version (raises hand). Luckily enough for me, the shorter days and less light become the new normal well before we turn back the clocks in November, so the “fall back” doesn’t play as much of a factor for me personally. But Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuro-psychologist in NYC (Manhattan and Forest Hills, Queens) who treats patients in her practice who display and express mood changes once October rolls around says that for most people, SAD symptoms appear during late fall or early winter and go away during the sunnier days of spring and summer. However, some people with the opposite pattern have symptoms that begin in spring or summer. So what are the symptoms you should be on the lookout for?

SAD Symptoms

• Depression
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Loss of energy
• Heavy, “leaden” feeling in the arms or legs
• Social withdrawal
• Oversleeping
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
• Weight gain
• Difficulty concentrating

SAD Treatment

One of the treatments for seasonal affective disorder is bright light therapy. According to Dr. Hafeez, light therapy can be a good initial treatment option for those who are not severely depressed and unable (or unwilling) to go the medication route. Light therapy consists of regular, daily exposure to a “light box,” which artificially simulates high-intensity sunlight. This means that a person will spend about half an hour in front of the light after they wake in the morning. An additional treatment can be added in the afternoon if they don’t improve.

Benefits of Light Therapy

• Because it’s light, side effects are uncommon and usually reversible, Dr. Hafeez says.
• Scientific studies have shown light therapy to be very effective when compared to placebo and as effective as antidepressants in many cases of non-severe SAD.
• Light therapy may also work faster than antidepressants for some people with notable effects beginning with in a few days of starting treatment. Other people may find that it takes a few weeks for light therapy to work, which can also be the case for most people who take antidepressant medications.
• Although not explicitly recommended, some people may elect for treatment with both light therapy and antidepressant medications. The combination of these treatments may be synergistic and a more robust way to address the symptoms of SAD.

I have always wanted to try a light box but have never pulled the trigger to buy one. After seeing the benefits, I’m thinking it can’t hurt, right?

Do you find your mood shifts in the fall months? Have you ever used a light box? —Erin

Dr. Sanam Hafeez is a New York City based neuropsychologist and school psychologist. She is also the founder and director of Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, P.C. She is currently a teaching faculty member at Columbia University.