Seasonal
Affective Disorder
Also known as SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a depression disorder resulting from the changing of seasons.
What is SAD?
Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD, is a depressive disorder resulting from changing seasons. Jan Hall from Timely MD states, "People with SAD experience symptoms similar to depression that typically occur during the fall and winter months where there is less sunlight. The most difficult months for people with SAD tend to be January and February." The warmer months are full of sunlight and warmth. You can go out at anytime day or night. But, once the colder months hit, you feel stuck inside and can't go out and do anything without you freezing. It gets darker earlier so you feel less of the daytime enjoyment.
SAD & College Students
Due to the shorter days and lack of constant sunlight, people's biological clocks change from their daily routine, which can prompt the brain chemistry to become imbalanced. SAD affects "about 5% of adults in the US, and typically lasts 40% of the year" (Hall). This being said, the stress of everyday life already affects many people's mental health. College students suffer greatly when diagnosed with SAD while juggling homework, studying, and working. Many college students have an irregular schedule due to studying and staying up late, and the changing sun times make it more difficult to handle.
Allison Scott from Study.com quotes the Healthy Minds Network as stating, "It is not surprising that mental health in college students is in a worse state than a decade ago, with rates of depression increasing by 135% and anxiety rising by 110% from 2013 to 2021.” The rise in mental health issues among college students could open windows for the possibility of other mental health diagnoses such as SAD. The change in times and the sun setting earlier or later during the school year can have an impact on schedules many college students rely on. This can lead to both dread of the changes or feeling the lack of ability to complete certain tasks because their bodily clock is now off kilter.
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REMEMBER: symptoms vary from person to person, not everyone will experience SAD the same.
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It's important to realize signs of SAD among college students. Refer to this list of the signs from Scott:
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Sadness and general feelings of depression
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Increased anxiety
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Fatigue despite often sleeping more than normal
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Loss of interest in activities that normally bring joy
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Suicidal thoughts or ideation
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Concentration problems
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According to Scott, people who experience SAD during the summer experience slightly different symptoms:
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​Restlessness
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Increased anxiety
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Insomnia or other sleep troubles
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Unusual bouts of violent behavior
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Loss or decrease of appetite
What Can Colleges Do to Help?
The number one rule in understanding mental health diagnoses is to NOT self-diagnose. Self-diagnosing can lead to falsehood or misunderstanding of what one might be going through. Unfortunately, many can't afford to meet with a specialist for their mental health. Figure 1.1 from Mental Health America portrays each state with approximately how many adults had not received mental health treatment in 2022. The lightest blue represents the lowest amount and the darkest blue represents the highest.
Mental Health America states, "Over 27 million individuals experiencing a mental illness go untreated." It's important for schools to analyze this data in order to understand how many students could possibly be going untreated for multiple reasons. Whether it be price, uneasiness talking to someone or other personal reasons. Schools need to come up with a way to have a wider range of options for students to reach out for help. One way schools can do this is to continue offering in-school, trained therapists to talk to students free of charge. Schools can also reach out to the student body to get an anonymous idea of what students believe they or ones they know could benefit from for outlets on campus.
Many students become close with specific professors and feel as though they create a trusted bond. Training professors on how to correctly discuss mental health with their students either in a group or individually could provide more students with the comfort of discussing personal issues with someone they have known longer than a therapist.
Figure 1.1
