Seasonal Depression, S.a.d, Seasonal Depression Disorder, Medicine Treatment For Depression, Light And Seasonal Depression

Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment

Bright Light Treatment

Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD)
& Winter Blues

Sleep & Circadian
Rhythm Disorders

Other Applications
for Bright Light
Treatment

Bibliography &
Resources

Links to other
websites

SunENews

(S.A.D. Treatment) & Winter Blues)

Š2002 The SunBox Company
WHAT IS SAD?
WHAT IS SAD? What are the links between light and seasonal depression? Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a specific type of recurring depressive illness that manifests in an annual pattern, usually from early-to-late fall and subsiding with the longer, sunnier days of spring. Some people have the milder form, called Subsyndromal-SAD (S-SAD), also called Winter Blues, which causes minor problems in their lives but not the total disruption that full-blown SAD causes.

This is the Winter-SAD subtype; another subtype is Summer-SAD, which occurs in the spring & summer months. Summer-SAD is much rarer than Winter-SAD, is less well researched, and its cause is undetermined. Throughout this website, unless otherwise noted, the term "SAD" refers specifically to Winter-SAD. The two share a distinct link between changes in natural light and seasonal depression, however.