1. Understanding Depression Slideshow
2. Take the Depression Quiz
3. Benefits of Depression Treatment

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) may have some of the same signs and symptoms as other types of depression. The stress of anticipating the onset of SAD often results in the sufferer having anxiety months before SAD symptoms begin each year.

• Most people have only some of these symptoms, not all.
• Depressed mood
• Loss of interest in usually enjoyable activities
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness
• Poor concentration, indecisiveness
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
• The symptoms of SAD come back every year, and for any specific person, they tend to come and go at about the same time each year.
• Winter SAD is typically characterized by
• sleeping more than usual;
• craving for sugar, starchy foods, or alcohol;
• weight gain;
• irritability;
• conflicts with other people;
• heaviness of arms and legs;
• behavior disturbances (in children).
• People with winter SAD may seek out light places or sunlight, or like to have lots of artificial lights on.
• Summer SAD is generally accompanied by some of the following signs and symptoms:
• Insomnia
• Poor appetite
• Weight loss
• Agitation
• Anxiety

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See the Entire Seasonal Depression (SAD) Topic Guide »