Article - BBC News - Seasonal Affective Disorder and the difference from winter blues
- sadcrystaloak
- Dec 2, 2014
- 1 min read
It's 30 years since the term seasonal affective disorder (SAD) was first used to describe winter depression. Is it overused today?
In 1984 psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal first used a term that changed the way people thought about winter.
Seasonal affective disorder describes a type of depression with a seasonal pattern, usually occurring during winter. A lack of light is thought to affect the part of the brain that rules sleep, appetite, sex drive, mood and activity levels. Patients experience lethargy and a craving for sugary snacks.
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