Retailers would have you believe that this time of the year we should be wrapping ourselves in the festive spirit. But for millions of people in the UK it’s the start of a potentially debilitating period in their lives, and it has nothing to do with Christmas.
As winter starts its cold embrace and the days grow shorter and the nights get longer, a mood disorder claps irons on an estimated 7% of the British population. It’s called SAD – an apt, if somewhat corny, acronym for seasonal affective disorder.
It is often dismissed as the less unnerving ‘winter blues’, but for those who suffer from SAD, the symptoms can’t be brushed aside. These include deep anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, eating disorders, physical fatigue, sexual problems, social withdrawal and suicidal tendencies.
It could be argued that these are all symptoms of various other mood disorders, so what would make them specifically symptomatic of SAD? Quite simply, because as the name suggests, the symptoms ebb and flow with the seasons. It’s a disorder that humans living in the upper northern hemisphere endured for hundreds of years. They just never realised it.
An unknown known disorder
That is, until 1979 when a South African psychiatrist called Norman Rosenthal moved from the open blue skies of Johannesburg to take up a position at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He became intrigued at how people, including himself, seemed to display different levels of energy depending on the time of the year. The longer days of summer seemed to bring a sense of energy, whereas the shorter days of winter brought on feelings of low energy, even depression.
Rosenthal found that, by exposing people with these seasonal symptoms to bright lights, he could manage their symptoms. Continued research in this area led Rosenthal to coin the term SAD, introducing the scientific community to a mood disorder they didn’t know they had known for years.
The third eye
In the years since Rosenthal’s research, the field of neuroscience has developed shedding further light on the disorder. The seat of SAD has now been localised to a tiny gland in the centre of the brain which is shaped like a pine nut. Thus, its name: the pineal gland. The pineal gland’s chief function is to secrete melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our sleep/wake cycle. A remnant from our early ancestors, the pineal gland takes its cue from the failing light at the end of the day to release melatonin, thereby inducing sleep, allowing the body to rest.
The bright light of the new day in turn signals the pineal gland to switch off the production of melatonin, thereby rousing the body from its slumber. In some amphibians, reptiles and fish, a similar organ with the same function is found between the eyes, earning it the nickname ‘the third eye’. The intimate and intricate connection between the human pineal gland and the photoreceptor cells in the eyes means it too is sometimes is called this.
When winter kicks in
This gives us clues as to why SAD only takes hold at certain times of the year. As winter moves in and the days grow shorter, this circadian rhythm is disrupted because the body sees the early darkness as an invitation to rest, while the demands of a busy daily routine deem otherwise. Similarly, the sound of an alarm clock in the darkness of an early winter morning sends confused messages to the brain.
The answer to SAD therefore seems to be to trick the pineal gland into retaining a rhythm that suits our modern lifestyle – to let the light in as it were. It’s why the most common treatment for SAD remains light therapy – the exposure to bright lights for certain periods of the day. For more serious symptoms, doctors often prescribe medication.
So if the next time a Christmas advert appears on TV you feel like crying, you’re not going mad; but there could be something wrong with you – something you share with thousands of other people. You therefore have three options: suck it in, knowing you’ll feel better in the spring; invest in some bright lights; or treat yourself to a trip to Barbados for Christmas. But your first step, as always, is to consult your doctor.
Picture credit: Luis Sarabia
It’s a SAD time of the year
By Daryl IlburyRetailers would have you believe that this time of the year we should be wrapping ourselves in the festive spirit. But for millions of people in the UK it’s the start of a potentially debilitating period in their lives, and it has nothing to do with Christmas.
As winter starts its cold embrace and the days grow shorter and the nights get longer, a mood disorder claps irons on an estimated 7% of the British population. It’s called SAD – an apt, if somewhat corny, acronym for seasonal affective disorder.
It is often dismissed as the less unnerving ‘winter blues’, but for those who suffer from SAD, the symptoms can’t be brushed aside. These include deep anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, eating disorders, physical fatigue, sexual problems, social withdrawal and suicidal tendencies.
It could be argued that these are all symptoms of various other mood disorders, so what would make them specifically symptomatic of SAD? Quite simply, because as the name suggests, the symptoms ebb and flow with the seasons. It’s a disorder that humans living in the upper northern hemisphere endured for hundreds of years. They just never realised it.
An unknown known disorder
That is, until 1979 when a South African psychiatrist called Norman Rosenthal moved from the open blue skies of Johannesburg to take up a position at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He became intrigued at how people, including himself, seemed to display different levels of energy depending on the time of the year. The longer days of summer seemed to bring a sense of energy, whereas the shorter days of winter brought on feelings of low energy, even depression.
Rosenthal found that, by exposing people with these seasonal symptoms to bright lights, he could manage their symptoms. Continued research in this area led Rosenthal to coin the term SAD, introducing the scientific community to a mood disorder they didn’t know they had known for years.
The third eye
In the years since Rosenthal’s research, the field of neuroscience has developed shedding further light on the disorder. The seat of SAD has now been localised to a tiny gland in the centre of the brain which is shaped like a pine nut. Thus, its name: the pineal gland. The pineal gland’s chief function is to secrete melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our sleep/wake cycle. A remnant from our early ancestors, the pineal gland takes its cue from the failing light at the end of the day to release melatonin, thereby inducing sleep, allowing the body to rest.
The bright light of the new day in turn signals the pineal gland to switch off the production of melatonin, thereby rousing the body from its slumber. In some amphibians, reptiles and fish, a similar organ with the same function is found between the eyes, earning it the nickname ‘the third eye’. The intimate and intricate connection between the human pineal gland and the photoreceptor cells in the eyes means it too is sometimes is called this.
When winter kicks in
This gives us clues as to why SAD only takes hold at certain times of the year. As winter moves in and the days grow shorter, this circadian rhythm is disrupted because the body sees the early darkness as an invitation to rest, while the demands of a busy daily routine deem otherwise. Similarly, the sound of an alarm clock in the darkness of an early winter morning sends confused messages to the brain.
The answer to SAD therefore seems to be to trick the pineal gland into retaining a rhythm that suits our modern lifestyle – to let the light in as it were. It’s why the most common treatment for SAD remains light therapy – the exposure to bright lights for certain periods of the day. For more serious symptoms, doctors often prescribe medication.
So if the next time a Christmas advert appears on TV you feel like crying, you’re not going mad; but there could be something wrong with you – something you share with thousands of other people. You therefore have three options: suck it in, knowing you’ll feel better in the spring; invest in some bright lights; or treat yourself to a trip to Barbados for Christmas. But your first step, as always, is to consult your doctor.
Picture credit: Luis Sarabia
Depression, mental health, SAD, Scary, Comment.