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It's that time of year again. With winter about to dawn, for millions of Americans, 'tis the season for the malady known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Also known as winter depression, SAD causes both emotional and physical distress and can negatively impact work productivity and personal relationships. Despite their best efforts to create a healthy home office environment, SAD sufferers often find themselves unable to function at full capacity as they battle symptoms that include loss of energy, anxiety, lack of concentration, poor sleep, increased appetite and, yes, even sadness.
Can a change in seasons actually affect your mood? According to studies conducted since 1984 by the National Institute of Mental Health, it absolutely can, due to changes in brain chemistry that occur with the onset of fall and shorter days consisting of less sunlight.
Fortunately, SAD is relatively easy to treat, says psychologist Pat Hudson. While antidepressant medication is sometimes prescribed, the most prevalent treatment remains light therapy, which uses desktop light boxes the size of small TVs that emit 10 to 20 times the light intensity of standard indoor lighting. The therapeutic bath of artificial light stimulates chemical changes in your brain--and helps alleviate SAD symptoms.
