Seasonal affective disorder: 5 warning signs to identify it

Seasonal affective disorder it is a psychopathological phenomenon that shows the union between mental processes and aspects that we usually attribute only to meteorology and astronomy.

It is a psychological disorder in which the person develops an emotional disturbance repeatedly around the same time of year, and which generates depressive symptoms.

In this article we will see how it affects people's mental health, as well as ways to know if it is affecting us.

• Related article: "Types of depression: their symptoms, causes and characteristics"

What is seasonal affective disorder?

Emotional affective disorder is a pattern of appearance of depressive symptoms (that is, linked to a very low mood) that occurs repeatedly over the years with the arrival of a certain season, usually winter.

In some diagnostic manuals it is defined as an independent psychological disorder, while in the DSM-5 it is considered a variant of depression in which the symptoms disappear at the end of the season that affects the emotional person.

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Why is this mood alteration occurring?

As with the vast majority of psychological disorders in general, the causes of seasonal affective disorder are complex and cannot be reduced to just one or two triggers; There are several factors that interact with each other and lead people to develop symptoms. However, in the present case, it seems that the most important causes (that is, those that have the most weight in the appearance or non-appearance of a psychological problem) are linked to the change from one season to another, which it implies differences in temperature and exposure to sunlight.

At first glance, it might appear that these causes are somewhat arbitrary and "out of place." What does the change of seasons have to do with psychological processes? However, if you look at how the rest of life forms work, this relationship does not seem so strange. Planet Earth is full of examples of animals that innately show a strong predisposition to behave one way or another depending on the season. Elements such as the lack of availability of food during cold months, the reduction in the mass of vegetation that complicates camouflage, the lack of sunlight that complicates the mobility... these are aspects that have been reflected in the way in which many species have evolved to adjust to those phases and transitions through which the ecosystems that inhabit.

Of course, some cases are clearer than others: the lifestyle of the wolverine is not the same, a mustelid that lives in the taiga and that must spend the winter surviving on carrion, than that of Homo sapiens, a hominid that evolved near the equator, where there is little difference between the months of January and June. But nevertheless, hormonal imbalances linked to the change of seasons can affect us to some extent, and in the case of a small part of the population, these can become so significant that they produce emotional problems (or favor their appearance).

• Related article: "Emotional psychology: main theories of emotion"

Warning Signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder

As we have seen, there is no clear consensus on whether seasonal affective disorder is an independent clinical entity or whether it is a version of depression.

Thus, the symptoms that characterize emotional affective disorder are those of depression. Knowing them will help us to detect if it is affecting us, although the definitive diagnosis can only be made by mental health professionals. Let's see the keys to identify it.

1. You notice a drop in your mood coinciding with the start of the season

Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder They usually appear in the first third of the entry into a season, always the same, which in most cases is winter. That is, year after year, this emotional maladjustment tends to appear more or less on the same dates, without it being possible to attribute it to changes clear events produced in the work, family or geographical context on these dates (for example, going to work in another country in certain weeks of the year).

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2. You feel that your day to day has been unstructured by changes in exposure to sunlight

Many people with seasonal affective disorder find that the lack of light associated with winter makes their day to day offer them much less incentives and they see more problems when it comes to enjoying their free time for it.

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3. The feeling of hopelessness is projected into the future

Although seasonal affective disorder is limited by the season that triggers it, the way in which people who suffer from it see the future goes further. The feeling that life is meaningless in general appears, that we can never be happy, etc.

4. Emotional fatigue always appears at the same time

The person who suffers this alteration notices that he lacks energy to carry out his responsibilities on a day-to-day basis, and spends his free time adopting a passive attitude.

• You may be interested in: "Emotional fatigue: strategies to face and overcome it"

5. Lack of interest in hobbies

During this time of year, the person abandons his hobbies, because he is not motivated by them and, on the other hand, notices that you lack the strength to be actively involved in anything that you do not see as an obligation.

• Related article: "Types of motivation: the 8 motivational sources"

What to do before this alteration?

Seasonal affective disorder can be treated in psychotherapy, where strategies for emotional management and reactivation of habits capable of behaviorally and emotionally activating the person will be carried out. Forms of medical intervention such as psychotropic drugs or light therapy can also be used, always under health supervision.

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Are you looking for professional psychological support?

If you are interested in having psychological help to detect and identify mood problems that may be affecting you and start a psychotherapy process, contact me.

My name is Javier Ares and I specialize in psychological disorders related to anxiety and depression, as well as in relationship problems; I serve adolescents and the adult population. You can count on my services in my office located in Madrid or through the modality of online therapy by video call.