Understanding Seasonal Depression

When gloomy days arrive each winter, it’s not uncommon to feel a little down. For many people, the loss of sunlight can induce a brief bout of the “winter blues.” But for about 5% of the U.S. population,¹ the mood shift is a more serious condition. It’s called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

“People with SAD experience mood changes and symptoms similar to depression,” the American Psychiatric Association (APA) explains on its website. “… SAD is more than just ‘winter blues.’”¹

What Is Seasonal Depression?

SAD is a mood disorder. People diagnosed with SAD have recurring major depressive episodes, manic periods, or both, at specific times of the year.²

“The symptoms usually occur during the fall and winter months when there is less sunlight, and usually improve with the arrival of spring,” the APA says. “The most difficult months for people with SAD in the United States tend to be January and February.”

Why does light matter? Research shows that when there is less sunlight, our bodies produce less serotonin, which helps regulate mood.² Research also shows that the risk of developing SAD increases the farther you live from the equator, where sunlight is most direct.²

What Are the Symptoms of Seasonal Depression?

The symptoms of seasonal depression are similar to those for depression, according to Mental Health America (MHA). They include:²

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Mood changes
• Sleep problems
• Lethargy
• Overeating
• Social problems
• Sexual problems

Licensed mental health counselors are among the healthcare professionals who diagnose and treat SAD. SAD can affect people of all ages, but it often starts when people are between the ages of 18 and 30.¹ Women are more likely to be diagnosed with SAD than men.²

What Is the Treatment for Seasonal Depression?

Mental health professionals treat SAD using several different approaches. These include:¹

• Light therapy: As part of light therapy, you sit in front of a specially designed box that gives off bright light. Treatment time is typically a minimum of 20 minutes daily, done soon after you wake up. About one to two weeks after starting light therapy, many people begin to feel better. 
• Talk therapy: Mental health counseling is an effective treatment, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has proven helpful.
• Medication: Healthcare professionals may prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a type of antidepressant, to treat SAD.
• Wellness efforts: Exercising, eating nourishing foods, sleeping well, and staying connected with people whose company you enjoy can also be helpful.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, free, confidential help is available by calling or texting 988. Trained professionals are available 24/7 at the 988 Lifeline.³

Can You Prevent Seasonal Depression?

You may not be able to prevent seasonal depression, but there are steps you can take to minimize symptoms, experts at the MHA say. That’s because SAD has a “predictable pattern of recurrence.”²

“Some forms of prevention that can help include beginning light therapy in the early fall before the onset of symptoms, exercising more, increasing the amount of light at home, meditation and other stress management techniques, spending more time outside, and visiting climates that have more sun,” the MHA writes on its website.²

Earn a Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree

Does the idea of helping people navigate challenges like SAD inspire you? If so, you may want to pursue a career in counseling. Walden University offers an online MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program designed to academically prepare you to seek licensure or certification as a professional mental health counselor.

Walden lets you tailor your online counseling degree to your career interests. The accredited university offers a General Program and several relevant specializations. One of Walden’s up-to-the-minute options is Telehealth Counseling, Private Practice, and Supervision. In this clinical mental health specialization, you can build the skills you need to diversify and broaden your career through telehealth, independent practice, and earning a clinical supervision designation.

You can also choose one of Walden’s other timely specializations: Addiction Counseling; Forensic Counseling; Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling; Military Families and Culture; and Trauma and Crisis Counseling.

Walden’s clinical mental health master’s program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP accreditation means the program aligns with professional standards. A master’s degree from a CACREP-accredited program is also a requirement for licensure in many states.

Walden’s online clinical mental health counseling program is designed for working professionals who want to earn a degree while staying engaged in their work and personal activities. If you’re ready to earn a counseling degree that can help you change lives, find your career path in Walden’s clinical mental health master’s program. 

Walden University is an accredited institution offering an online MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.

¹Source: www.psychiatry.org/Patients-Families/Seasonal-Affective-Disorder
²Source: www.mhanational.org/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad
³Source: https://988lifeline.org/

Note on Licensure: Walden University’s MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which is a requirement for licensure in many states. The MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is designed to prepare graduates to qualify to sit for licensing exams and to meet the academic licensure requirements of many state counseling boards. Because no graduate program can guarantee licensure upon graduation, we encourage students to consult the appropriate agency to determine specific requirements. For more information about licensure, students should visit the National Board for Certified Counselors at www.nbcc.org/stateboard, the American Association of State Counseling Boards at www.aascb.org, and contact the appropriate licensing body. International students are encouraged to identify and contact their appropriate licensing body. Learn more about professional licensure.

Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.