Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, repeatedly, year after year. The US National Library of Medicine notes that "some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up." The condition in the summer is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder, and can also include heightened anxiety. There are many different treatments for classic (winter-based) seasonal affective disorder, including light therapies with bright lights, anti-depression medication, ionized-air administration,cognitive-behavioral therapy, and carefully timed supplementation of the hormone melatonin. A diagnosis can be made after three or more consecutive winters of symptoms, which may include a number of the following: Depression * Low mood, worse than and different from normal sadness * Negative thoughts and feelings * Guilt and loss of self-esteem * Sometimes hopelessness and despair * Sometimes apathy and inability to feel Sleep Problems * The need to sleep more * A tendency to oversleep * Difficulty staying awake during the day and/or disturbed sleep with very early morning wakening Lethargy * Fatigue, often incapacitating, making it very difficult or impossible to carry out normal routines Over Eating * Craving for carbohydrates and sweet foods leading to an increase in weight Cognitive Function * Difficulty with concentration and memory * The brain does not work as well, or as quickly Social Problems * Irritability * Finding it harder to be with people Anxiety * Tension * Stress is harder to deal with Loss of Libido * Less interest in sex and physical contact Sudden Mood Changes in Spring * Sharp change in mood * Some experience agitation and restlessness and/or a short period of hypomania (over activity) * No dramatic mood change but a gradual loss of winter symptoms SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a type of winter depression that affects an estimated 7% of the UK population every winter between September and April, in particular during December, January and February. It is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the hypothalamus due to the shortening of daylight hours and the lack of sunlight in winter. For many people SAD is a seriously disabling illness, preventing them from functioning normally without continuous medical treatment. For others, it is a mild but debilitating condition causing discomfort but not severe suffering. We call this subsyndromal SAD or 'winter blues.' It is estimated that a further 17% of the UK population have this milder form of condition.

I love the Spring ... I feel great when the cold weather is on it's way out the door...