Seasonal affective disorder can have the same symptoms as a depression, which are not connected with the certain season. It may be depressed mood, melancholy, anxious feeling, apathy, joylessness or hopelessness. Rarely these symptoms are more pronounced in the first half of the day, whereas to the evening the state becomes better.

More typical for seasonal affective disorder are considered other symptoms. Patients, suffering from seasonal depressions, parallel with depressed mood, anxious feeling and decreased activity, experience drowse and keen appetite during the whole day. During depression they consume more food which is rich in carbohydrates. They can also put on weight. As a rule, reduces the overall tone, but appears weakness and variety of unpleasant sensations in the body.

Asthenic symptomatology of seasonal affective disorder is following: feeling of weakness, flabbiness, souse and all-overishness. It may be different pains and unpleasant feelings in the body. The mental work decreases, the memory and attention worsen. It is significant that intensity of these symptoms practically do not depend on outside force and quite often they are more pronounced in the morning hours after awakening.

In development of seasonal affective disorder the important role plays metabolic serotonin – biologically active substance, which regulate mood.
Experimental researches have shown that in winter the content of serotonin lower than in summer. The significant regulator of serotonin is melatonin – an active material, which production depends on light quantity.

The classical approach of seasonal affective disorder treatment is light therapy. Besides, it has been proved high efficiency of antidepressants with a specific action on the exchange of serotonin in the brain. Prolonged use of these medicines allows not only cure developed depressive state, but also to prevent their future development. As by other depressions, the essential element of effective treatment is psychotherapy

Typical (main) symptoms of depression:

• The mood is bad, depressed, nasty, dismal, “there’s a gnawing in your heart”
• “You are browned off everything”: you put off some plans or for a long time you make yourself for their performance. There is no desire going into the heart of the matter, – you know that you must do it, but you take any measures. The production decisions and business acquaintances you also leave over until tomorrow. You are not interested in something, you do not want to do anything, but you know that you should do it. There is no pleasure like before – “You are past caring.” You couldn’t remember when you were happy.
• You are tired even after unimportant physical exercises, or in the evening you are completely unable. It may be the feeling of constant tiredness. It seems that you have never had a rest. You want to refuse from routine, rather to take a break and muster your strength. However, brief rest does not improve the condition, and amusements fast lose their attraction.

Other symptoms of depression:

1. It is difficult to concentrate in the presence of an irritant (for example, by television, radio, conversation in the next room); because of «parallel» thoughts – «while reading I am thoughtful of others». It becomes difficult to pick words or to catch the meaning of the conversation. While reading books, magazines or commercial papers it is also hardly to find their meaning, you have to reread it once again.
2. After taking a decision, it appears unusual for you indecision, constant doubts in ordinary domestic or well-known professional duties. The self-reliance has disappeared, – «What if I say too much or do something wrong».
3. The critical appraisal of all past life is quite possible. «Everything that I have had in the past is useless. I had to do other things». You experience painful feeling of the «black sheep» in the family and «white crow» in the work. You reproach yourself in filial irresponsible duties or in insufficient care concerning other next of kin.
4. Your mind is filled with sad thoughts, that you are «loser» and you are not able to solve the problems. There is an ascertaining of full professional failure. The dismal and pessimistic vision of the future may be filled with quite concrete life conditions.
5. Sometimes it occurs to you – «Perhaps it would be better to pass away, because everything is bad, nonsensical, the life has lost its meaning since».
6. The sleep disorder is quite varied. This includes difficult falling asleep; reduction of night sleep because of frequent awakenings; the awaking at 3-4 o’clock at night or at 5 in the morning with following sleeplessness. At all kinds of sleep disorders there is no sense of rest in the morning.
7. You have jaded appetite («I can do with one cup of tea during the day»), or you can even have aversion to food’s sort or its smell.

Depression self-testing

In event that you do not get some of three symptoms (main and extra list), so you do not have depressed mood according to ICD-10.

Mild depressive disorder

The presence of 2 typical symptoms of depression and at least 2 symptoms from the list of “a-g”. You are worried about your state. You feel certain difficulties by work performance or by social activity.

Moderate depressive disorder

The presence of 2 typical symptoms of depression and at least 3 symptoms (preferably 4) from the list of “a-g”. There are formidable difficulties in performance of social duties, housekeeping or by continuation of professional activity.

Major depressive disorder

The presence of all 3 typical depressed symptoms or more than 4 from the list of “a-g”. The social and home activities can be very limited or improbable.

If you have a depressed mood in accordance with the criteria, your state may be exacerbated with a number of additional painful displays:

• You want to be alone, shut yourself off from everybody;
• The next of kin notice that you become silent and you stop smiling;
• The relations with relatives and colleagues become complicated with unusual for you irritability and aggression;
• The feeling of weight in the chest, («A weight sits heavy on my heart»), or an ache in the left part of the chest or burning pain behind breastbone.
• It appears unnatural for you slowness in movements, or on the contrary, moving excitement and anxiety, (« I have the heebie-jeebies»).
• During depression the sexual drive may decrease, («I do not even think about it»).
• You feel bad especially in the morning or in the afternoon. By the evening you feel better (typical diurnal rhythm of disturbance mood)
• The attempt to improve your state with a help of alcohol brings only temporary and unstable effect.

In case if you find by yourself or by some member of your family the foundation for depression self-testing, you should seek a psychological help.

Depression – is a mental disease which is characterized by the disturbance of the mood.

What are the main symptoms of depression?

The most common symptoms of depression include:

• Joyless, depressed condition, loss of pleasure
• Disinterest
• Inability to concentration, amnesia.
• Inability to come to decisions, obsessive return to the same issues.
• Fear (before commonness or vagueness), inner agitation, anxiety.
• A sensation of weariness, lack of the energy.
• Disturbance of sleep
• Lack of appetite, weight loss
• The feeling of weight in the belly or in the chest
• Vegetative symptoms (dry mouth, constipation, sweatiness and so on.)

What can you do if your loved one is suffering from depression?

• You should not ignore or forbid patient complaints
• Do not make trivial or comforting speeches or banal whistlings in the dark.
• Do not try to amuse the sick man.
• Stress the momentary of the depression and offer the hope of its ending.
• Do not call upon the exercise of will by the sick man. Do not tell him: «you should pull yourself together», «you might have do it, if only you want it» etc.
• Do not make the patient feel helpless and guilty.
• Do not call upon such virtues like faith and responsibility.
• May depressed person not take decisions, especially very important.
• Be calmly and confidently with this person.
• Organize independently the doctor’s advice and accompany the patient
• Relieve the patient from his private and official contacts.
• Do not change cardinal patient’s habits
• Do not insist on the patient’s vacation, especially if there are no signs of pronounced depression.
• Show your sympathy and understanding, support the patient in performance of his vital and real tasks.
• Pay patient’s attention to everything what he succeeded to do. At that, do not show triumphal emotions.
• Look after regular patient’s daily routine
• Do not allow patient lie for a long time in the mornings, go to bed early and stay alone.
• Take care that patient look after himself
• Avoid assumed cheerfulness
• Do not reproach and rebuke
• Try to stimulate patient’s breathing
• Do not mention about past patient’s successes
• Do not self-medicate of the patient, ask for psychiatrist’s help.

How to treat depression?

Modern depression treatment includes:

• The use of biological treatment (first of all psychopharmacological medications). The requisite conditions for the effectiveness of the treatment are collaboration with the doctor: strict adherence of ordered therapy, the regular visits to the doctor, a detailed, unconcealed statement about your condition and life difficulties.
• Psychotherapy (individual, group and family) is not an option, but an important complement to the pharmacotherapy of depression. In contrast to pharmacotherapy, the psychotherapy supposed more active patient’s role in the treatment. Psychotherapy helps patients to develop the skills of emotional self-regulation, thus in future they can more effective cope with crisis situations, and not be absorbed in depression.

What usually prevents the treatment of psychotherapeutic help?

• Lack of information by people about what psychotherapy means.
• The fear for devotion a third person in personal, intimate experiences.
• Skeptical attitude that “talks” can provide appreciable curative effect.
• The concept that one need to cope with the psychological difficulties on his own. To call on another person is a sign of weakness.

The assistance of relatives in depression’s overcoming. The support of relatives, even when the patient does not express any interest, is very important in depression’s overcoming. In this connection we can give following pieces of advice to patient’s relatives:

• Remember, that depression – is a disease which need sympathy, but on no accounts you need not be absorbed in a disease together with a patient, sharing his pessimism and despair. It is necessary to keep a certain emotional distance, all the time reminding yourself and the patient, that depression – is a transient emotional state.
• According to studies, depression proceeding negatively especially in those families, where patient gets a lot of censorious remarks. Try to give the patient to understand that his condition – it is not his fault, but misfortune. He is need of help and treatment.
• Try not to focus on disease of your loved one and bring positive emotions in your life and in family’s life. As far as possible, try to involve the patient in some useful activity, but not dismiss him from the work.