Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is commonly referred to as a depressive disorder. Despite the fact that this painful condition is considered endogenous, there are a number of prerequisites for its development. What causes SAD? And who is at immediate risk?
Seasonal affective disorder is a controversial diagnosis. Discussions have been going on around this violation for several years, experts are conducting various studies. In some cases, the results indicate that an exacerbation of the depressive state does occur during certain seasons of the year (hence the corresponding name of the disorder), in other cases there is no pattern between depression and, for example, the winter season. However, SAD is in no hurry to exclude it from the category of borderline mental pathologies.
There is no clear and unique reason why seasonal affective disorder develops. Doctors are of the opinion that there are four key reasons that can trigger the onset of this disorder.
Why SAD Develops: Causes of Depression
There is a theory in medical circles that seasonal depressive disorder can be inherited. Genetic predisposition in the context of depression is, in principle, a very relevant topic today. Experts insist that if among a person's close relatives there were patients with any type of depressive disorder or diagnosed with SAR, then the person's risk of developing the disease significantly increases. In addition, after a number of studies, it was revealed that the cause of the development of SAR can be hidden in disorders and mutations affecting genes on chromosome 11.
The second reason why seasonal affective disorder occurs, doctors call disorders that affect circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are the internal - biological - clocks that every person has. Failures occur due to a lack of sunlight, because SAD most often manifests itself in autumn, winter and early spring. The less sunlight a person receives, the more severe his symptoms of depression may be. This reason in scientific circles is called the chronobiological theory based on molecular-biochemical disorders.
There are also two other causes of SAR:
- direct predisposition to this disorder, provoked by negative external influences or internal pathologies; sometimes seasonal affective disorder is formed on the basis of someone's physical illness, for example, affecting the endocrine system;
- a violation occurs due to a decrease in the amount of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in the human body.
Features and risk group
What distinguishes SAD from other types of depression is that the deterioration in well-being always occurs at the same time. The depressive episode also usually ends in the same period. For example, SAR may begin at the end of December and end in mid-March. A year later, a person with a similar diagnosis in the same period will face signs of seasonal affective disorder.
Experts note that, as a rule, the duration of ATS is approximately 3-4 months. In a situation where the disease becomes severe, symptoms may appear for up to 9-10 months in a row.
Seasonal affective disorder almost never occurs in childhood or early adolescence. Usually, this diagnosis is not made in principle until the age of ten.
The peak of the development of the disorder most often occurs in the age group from 18 to 35 years. The first episode of SAD almost never occurs later than the specified age.
Experts also note that girls and women are most often affected by seasonal affective disorder. Studies have shown that girls and women are 4-5 times more likely to experience symptoms of SAD than men.
