Case Closed Friday: Weather Changes Moods

Earlier this week, we gave you a hypothetical patient with the following case:

This week, our hypothetical patient is a 33-year-old woman who is a professor at SDSM&T. Three years ago, she moved to Rapid City, SD, from her hometown, Sarasota, FL. A few months into her first semester, she began feeling unusually depressed and lethargic. She had not experienced these symptoms in the past and had difficulty in processing these feelings. She began sleeping more than usual and felt more irritable than was normal for her. After her first year of teaching, she stopped having these feelings and assumed that her issues were related to adjusting to her new home. However, her symptoms reappeared during the fall semester of her second year and again subsided by the end of the spring semester. She is now in her third year and is again experiencing feelings of lethargy, depression, and excessive sleeping. She is having increasing difficulty in concentrating and has gained 25 pounds since moving to South Dakota.

Today, we reveal that our hypothetical patient was diagnosed as having: 

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

While it's pretty normal to experience the "winter blues" or days of feeling "down", people with SAD experience these feelings for extended periods of time and lose their motivation to do things that they normally enjoy. These prolonged feelings of depression and lethargy often lead to disruptions in sleep patterns and eating behaviors. Many patients find concentrating to be increasingly difficult and may begin to feel more easily agitated. Some patients turn to alcohol or other substances for comfort or relaxation. Some cases also involve thoughts of suicide. Most cases occurs during late fall or early winter and subside during the spring and summer; however, some people have summer-onset SAD. SAD is often accompanied by changes in appetite and subsequent changes to a person's weight. Winter-onset SAD is more commonly associated with increases in cravings resulting in weight gain, while summer-onset SAD is more frequently associated with a loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss. Like many psychological disorders, the causes for SAD are not fully understood. Disruptions in normal levels of serotonin (mood-related neurotransmitter) and melatonin (sleep-related hormone) likely play a role in the manifestation of SAD. Changes in exposure to sunlight can also lead to depression by disrupting the body's circadian rhythms. People with family histories or personal medical histories of depression are at risk for the development of SAD. SAD also appears to occur more frequently in populations living further away from the equator. SAD is diagnosed through a combination of physical examinations, lab tests, and psychological evaluations. It is often treated with light therapy first and can begin working within a few days of treatment. If a patient's case is more severe, antidepressants and/or psychotherapy may be prescribed. Other forms of therapy that are effective for some cases include relaxation techniques, such as yoga, tai chi, or meditation, music therapy, and art therapy. Regular exercise and exposure to natural sunlight are helpful both in treating and in preventing SAD in at-risk individuals.

Thanks for joining us for this week's Mystery Case and we hope to see you next week!