scholarly journals Patients’ Experience of Winter Depression and Light Room Treatment

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Rastad ◽  
Lennart Wetterberg ◽  
Cathrin Martin
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Social Withdrawal ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Work Capacity ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Rapid Improvement

Background. There is a need for more knowledge on the effects of light room treatment in patients with seasonal affective disorder and to explore patients’ subjective experience of the disease and the treatment.Methods. This was a descriptive and explorative study applying qualitative content analysis. A purposeful sample of 18 psychiatric outpatients with a major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern and a pretreatment score ≥12 on the 9-item Montgomery-Åsberg Depression self-rating scale was included (10 women and 8 men, aged 24–65 years). All patients had completed light room treatment (≥7/10 consecutive weekdays). Data was collected two weeks after treatment using a semistructured interview guide.Results. Patients described a clear seasonal pattern and a profound struggle to adapt to seasonal changes during the winter, including deterioration in sleep, daily rhythms, energy level, mood, activity, and cognitive functioning. Everyday life was affected with reduced work capacity, social withdrawal, and disturbed relations with family and friends. The light room treatment resulted in a radical and rapid improvement in all the major symptoms with only mild and transient side effects.Discussion. The results indicate that light room treatment is essential for some patients’ ability to cope with seasonal affective disorder.

Seasonal affective disorder among primary care attenders and a community sample in Aberdeen

1999 ◽  
Vol 175 (5) ◽  
pp. 472-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Eagles ◽  
Samantha M. Wileman ◽  
Isobel M. Cameron ◽  
Fiona L. Howie ◽  
Kenneth Lawton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Assessment Questionnaire

BackgroundThere are no large published studies of the prevalence of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) among UK populations.AimTo determine the prevalence of SAD among patients attending a general practitioner (GP).MethodPatients aged 16–64 consulting their GPs in Aberdeen during January were screened with the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). SPAQs were also mailed to 600 matched patients, who had not consulted their GP during January. Surgery attenders who fulfilled SPAQ criteria for SAD were invited for interview to determine whether they met criteria for SAD in DSM–IVand the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression– Seasonal Affective Disorder Version (SIGH–SAD).ResultsOf 6161 surgery attenders, 4557 (74%) completed a SPAQ; 442 (9.7%) were SPAQ cases of SAD. Rate of caseness on the SPAQ did not differ between surgery attenders and non-attenders. Of 223 interviewed SPAQ cases of SAD, 91 (41%) also fulfilled DSM–IVand SIGH–SAD criteria.ConclusionsThere is a high prevalence of SAD among patients attending their GPs in January in Aberdeen; this is likely to reflect a similar rate in the community.

Will light brighten the future of the depressed patient?

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.H. Van Den Hoofdakker ◽  
M.C.M. Gordijn
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Light Treatment ◽  
Psychosocial Variable ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Treatment Experiment ◽  
History Of ◽  
Therapeutic Possibilities

The present explosive growth of interest in the therapeutic possibilities of exposure to light was triggered by a patient, Herbert Kern. He suffered from episodic depressive and manic complaints and discovered, by registering these over the years, a seasonal pattern in their occurrence. Discussions with scientists of the NIMH resulted in his participation in a bright light-treatment experiment when he was depressed in the winter of 1980-1981. He recovered.Next, the same group of investigators defined the criteria for a new syndrome, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): a history of major affective disorder (according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria), at least two consecutive years in which the depressions have occurred during fall or winter and remitted in the following spring or summer, and the absence of any clear-cut seasonally changing psychosocial variable, such as work, stress and so on.

scholarly journals Seasonal affective disorder among general practice attenders

2002 ◽  
Vol 180 (5) ◽  
pp. 394-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Kendrick
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
American Psychiatric Association ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Primary Health Care Services ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
Assessment Questionnaire

In this issue, Eagles et al report that people suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are heavy users of primary health care services (Eagles et al, 2002, this issue). Nearly 10% of patients attending practices in Aberdeen screened positive for SAD using the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ; Rosenthal et al, 1987), among whom around half of those attending for interview fulfilled DSM–IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria for recurrent major depression with seasonal pattern. The patients with SAD had consulted significantly more frequently over a 5-year period, with a variety of symptoms both related and unrelated to SAD, and had received significantly more prescriptions, investigations and referrals than patients found not to fulfil the criteria for SAD.

scholarly journals Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Overview of Assessment and Treatment Approaches

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherri Melrose
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Light Therapy ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Typical Treatment ◽  
Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Assessment Questionnaire

Seasonal affective disorder or SAD is a recurrent major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern usually beginning in fall and continuing into winter months. A subsyndromal type of SAD, or S-SAD, is commonly known as “winter blues.” Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer. Symptoms center on sad mood and low energy. Those most at risk are female, are younger, live far from the equator, and have family histories of depression, bipolar disorder, or SAD. Screening instruments include the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). Typical treatment includes antidepressant medications, light therapy, Vitamin D, and counselling. This paper provides an overview of SAD.

Association of the intronic rs2072621 polymorphism of the X-linked GPR50 gene with affective disorder with seasonal pattern

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 369-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Delavest ◽  
C. Even ◽  
N. Benjemaa ◽  
M.-F. Poirier ◽  
R. Jockers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphism ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
G Protein Coupled ◽  
Gender Specific ◽  
Control Study

AbstractThis case-control study found an association between Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and a single nucleotide polymorphism (intronic rs2072621) of the gene encoding GPR50 (an orphan member of the G protein-coupled melatonin receptor subfamily) in females. This may represent a gender-specific risk factor and a molecular link between melatonin and SAD.

The Impact of Seasonal Affective Disorder on Financial Analysts

2017 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kin Lo ◽  
Serena Shuo Wu
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Financial Analysts ◽  
Analyst Forecasts ◽  
Equity Returns ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Forecast Revisions ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT We examine the impact of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) on financial analysts. We hypothesize and find that analysts are more pessimistic, less precise, and more asymmetric in their boldness in the fall, as indicated by their forecasts of quarterly earnings. The effects are apparent in all forecast horizons analyzed and robust across multiple specifications. Importantly, pessimism in fall forecast revisions shows analyst-specific persistence, providing a strong indication that the effect is a result of SAD rather than other coincident factors. We also find evidence of a reversal in pessimism in the spring. Additional analyses show that analyst forecasts exhibit less seasonality than equity returns, and that the presence of analyst forecasts in the fall is associated with attenuation in the seasonal pattern in stock returns. Overall, the evidence suggests that SAD affects both financial analysts and equity investors, but the effect on the latter is stronger. JEL Classifications: G11; G12; G14; G41; M41. Data Availability: Data are available from public sources cited in the text.

What is this thing called “SAD”? A critique of the concept of seasonal affective disorder

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidje Hansen ◽  
Ingunn Skre ◽  
Eiliv Lund
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Recurrent Depression ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
General Populations

SummaryBackground– Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is supposed to be caused by lack of daylight in winter. Yet the population of Northern Norway, living without sun for two winter months, does not spontaneously complain about depression during the dark period.Aims– To summarize research bearing upon the validity of the concept of SAD.Method– Review of relevant literature concerning the epidemiology of SAD and the questionnaire developed to measure it in general populations, the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ).Results– Large population studies from northern Norway do not point to a higher prevalence of depression in winter than expected in any other general population. The psychometric properties of SPAQ are rather poor, and the diagnosis of SAD based on SPAQ bears little relationship to a meaningful concept of depression.Conclusions– Seasonal Affective Disorder is not a valid medical construct. Instead, “Recurrent depression with seasonal pattern” as defined in the DSM-IV and the ICD-10 should be used as terms. However, more research is needed to establish whether it is at all fruitful to single out such a subtype of recurrent depression.Declaration of Interest: None.

Effect of Fluoxetine on Melatonin in Patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder and Matched Controls

1995 ◽  
Vol 166 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Childs ◽  
I. Rodin ◽  
N. J. Martin ◽  
L. Plaskett ◽  
C. Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Melatonin Concentration ◽  
Secretion Profile ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After

BackgroundThe aim was to investigate the secretion profile of melatonin and seasonal affective disorder before and after treatment with fluoxetine.MethodA six-week case-controlled study with repeated overnight blood sampling was conducted. Ten patients fulfilling the criteria for major depressive disorder, seasonal type, with a 29-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score of at least 20 were compared with ten age- and sex-matched healthy controls in a clinical laboratory. The effects of fluoxetine (20 mg/day) on the HDRS and melatonin concentration were measured.ResultsFluoxetine significantly reduced melatonin levels in both groups. There was no significant difference in melatonin secretion between the groups.ConclusionsThe effect of fluoxetine differs from tricyclics and fluvoxamine, both of which increase melatonin.

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