Many teens may not deal with it directly. There’s always something else to get in the way be it school work part–time jobs sports or hanging out with friends. But there’s always the misery of being cooped up inside. And as of late it’s been particularly miserable — the weather is bitterly cold and windy and there’s not even any snow to make up for it.

What to do?

“I just try and stay as warm as possible and avoid going outside because it’s freezing” Elizabethtown senior Caitlin Wilson said. “I have also been reading a lot of books.”

Many people are plagued by seasonal affective disorder also called winter blues or seasonal depression during this time of year. The U.S. National Library of Medicine has said that “some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much have little energy and may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe they usually clear up.”

Long discounted by skeptics seasonal affective disorder has now been diagnosed as a common mood disorder. It is a fact that mood and personality play a large role in identifying a patient with it. But would there be a biological factor in the disorder as well?

“Our levels of serotonin a mood–elevating chemical drop in the winter months causing us to feel down” telegraph.co.uk stated in an article. “Scientists from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto Canada have found that as the days become shorter we produce high levels of a protein which interferes with serotonin. The protein is a serotonin transporter which helps the “happy” chemical to flow around the brain. When this protein becomes more active in the winter it soaks up the serotonin that lies between our brain cells causing levels to fall.”

There are many treatments such as antidepressant medication and light therapy but those would be some of the more drastic measures. There are far more fun ways to combat the winter blues such as focusing on New Year’s resolutions relaxing with friends and family or even a teen favorite sleeping.

Elizabethtown Area High School senior Meghan Kreider prefers a similar option.

“I’ve been watching a lot of movies on my laptop. I won’t even get off of my futon” she said. “It’s sad but I live in my ‘man cave’ as I like to call it and stay under the covers.”

And good news for coffee lovers: Time Magazine states that “a recent analysis of data from the massive Nurses’ Health Study found that women who drank more than four cups of coffee a day had a 20 percent lower risk of depression than women who drank less. The research did not include men but there’s little reason to suspect a wildly different effect in them.”

Feelgooder.com offers meeting new people and socializing with old friends as good options to avoiding the doldrums of winter. Another way to beat the boredom suggested Elizabethtown junior Amanda Matta is trying different activities.

“I’ve been doing a lot of strange things I wouldn’t normally do” Matta said. “Like yesterday I came home from school baked chocolate chip cookies polished my riding boots then watched two hours of ‘Big Bang Theory.’ And ate a lot of cookies.”

So if the keys to happiness during the winter months can be obtained through activity exposure to bright lights socializing relaxing eating cookies and drinking coffee it would seem relatively simple to keep from falling into seasonal affective disorder. Personal motivation plays a key role and in the end it is all up to the individual.

Article is from the PennLive.com site. Read the article here.

As the days get shorter and temperatures dip, some people experience the winter blues. During the winter, some people are vulnerable to depression, fatigue, an increased need for sleep, and difficulty concentrating. These are a few symptoms of winter SAD.

SAD is a form of major depression that occurs during fall and winter, when people react adversely to the decrease in sunlight and colder temperatures. SAD can also hit people during the spring and summer.

It can be difficult to diagnose SAD in children and teens, says Dr. J. David Bragg, program director for Clinical Mental Health Counseling at South University — Virginia Beach. SAD symptoms range from mild to severe depending on the child.

“As with all mood disorders, SAD is more difficult to diagnose in children because the pattern of symptomatology is different than in adults,” he says. “Depressed mood in children may be exemplified by irritability and fatigue.”

The normal fluctuations in mood seen in children may mask the presence of depression, Bragg says.

“The vagaries of childhood and adolescence with the attendant emotional upheaval tend to make many diagnoses difficult,” he says. “Some symptoms are misinterpreted as the onset of puberty.”

Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder in Children and Teens

Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, a SAD specialist and author, writes in his book “Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder,” that SAD affects about 3% of children ages 9 to 17. He says problems with concentration, schoolwork, energy, and mood are often signs of SAD in young people.

Children and adolescents might feel bad, but don’t know why, Bragg says.

“They seem to be aware that something is amiss, but they may blame their feelings on external factors, for example, peers are being mean,” he says. “Secondary effects of SAD include a decline in academic achievement, loss of desire to take part in social activities and sports, memory impairment, lack of organization, and difficulty in writing, all of which affect self-concept and self-esteem.”

Other symptoms of winter SAD can include:

• Irritable mood
• Changes in appetite, or craving junk foods more than usual
• Insomnia or hypersomnia
• Throwing temper tantrums
• Not wanting to do chores they didn’t have a problem doing before
• Experiencing physical aliments, such as headaches or stomach pain

Treatment

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, nearly 5% of children and adolescents in the general population suffer from depression at any given point in time. Early recognition and intervention by parents, teachers, and clinicians are essential in helping treat children and teens suffering from depression. For help, parents are advised to ask their physician to refer them to a qualified mental health professional who can diagnose and treat SAD in children and teenagers.

Light therapy is an effective method of treatment for SAD. A light therapy box mimics outdoor light and is believed to cause a chemical change in the brain that eases the symptoms of SAD. A light therapy box may be used on its own, or combined with other SAD treatments such as antidepressant medications or counseling.

“While light therapy is effective for SAD, other treatment options should be considered,” Bragg says. “The use of psychotropic medication and traditional psychotherapy should address the somatic and psychosocial issues prevalent in SAD.”

The KidsHealth website of children’s health organization Nemours is a source of information about the health, behavior, and development of children and teens. The site offers tips on how parents and caregivers can also help their children cope with SAD:

• Ask the doctor how to best help your child.
• Learn more about SAD and provide simple explanations to your child about the condition.
• Encourage your child to exercise and spend time outdoors. Parents should increase the amount of sunlight their children are exposed to whenever possible.
• Spend quality time with your child.
• Be patient and don’t expect symptoms to go away immediately.
• Help your child organize and complete their homework.
• Encourage your child to eat healthy and avoid junk food.
• Encourage your child to stick to a regular bedtime every day so they can get adequate rest.

All parents know that it is usually difficult to get your kids to get up in the morning. Some have to resort to turning lights on, slamming doors, pouring ice water on their heads.

The typical teenager needs to have nine hours of sleep per night. But with this day and age with TV and internet, they never get to sleep on time.

USA Today recently had an article about how to get your teenager up in the morning.  They suggest keeping a log of their sleep habits, not letting them sleep past 10 am on the weekends, using a light box with their alarm in the morning.

For the full article, click here.

Winter Blues, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder by Norman E. Rosenthal

Snooze… or Lose!: 10 “No-War” Ways to Improve Your Teen’s Sleep Habits by M.D. Dr. Helene A. Emsellem

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Beyond: Light Treatment for Sad and Non-Sad Conditions by Raymond W. Lam

A Clinician’s Guide to Using Light Therapy (Cambridge Clinical Guides) by¬†Raymond W. Lam and Edwin M. Tam

The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood’s Most Misunderstood Disorder by Demitri Papolos M.D. and Janice Papolos

Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder: What It Is and How to Overcome It by Norman E. Rosenthal

Seasonal Affective Disorder For Dummies by Laura L. Smith and Charles H. Elliott

The elderly are affected by depression due to changes in their lives, such as death of a loved one or isolation. Seasonal affective disorder is one type of depression that can affect the elderly, especially those who are housebound. While the most common form of seasonal affective disorder occurs during the fall and winter months, rare forms can happen during the spring and summer months.

Seasonal affective disorder is thought to be caused by a lack of ambient light, changes in body temperature or issues with hormone regulation. Elderly patients, who do not go outside often, especially during the fall and winter months, are susceptible. Also, seasonal affective disorder can develop into major depression.

Seasonal affective disorder is most often seen in the elderly during the fall and winter months. Symptoms include social withdrawal, decreased energy and concentration, lethargic movement, carbohydrate cravings, increased sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, decreased interest in activities and increased appetite with weight gain.

If you find as you get older that your sleep pattern changes, you shouldn’t automatically assume that there’s a problem. As long as you’re otherwise healthy and you’re getting adequate sleep, it could just be your circadian rhythm changing because of age. But talk to your doctor for additional help and advice, or if your side effects don’t go away or get worse.

Symptoms in children occur when they are in school, which can be a stressful time anyway.  Parents may mistake symptoms for just problems in school.  It can take years before a child is diagnosed because parents and children don’t recognize the seasonal patterns.  It’s important to keep an eye for warning symptoms that your child is suffering from seasonal affective disorder.

Symptoms include: tiredness or loss of energy, crankiness or irritability Рcrying in spells, problems in school – including difficulty concentrating and doing schoolwork, oversleeping – including difficulty waking up in the morning, and over eating – especially carbohydrate cravings.

Parents of children and teens with SAD should participate in their treatment.  Learn about the disorder and share it with your child.  They may need help with homework, so make time to help them.  Make sure the child’s teachers know of your child’s situation.  The important thing is to make sure your child is getting the help that they need to feel better.

Light therapy is drug-free treatment for SAD, so it is safe for older children.¬† Children can sit in front of a light therapy box while eating breakfast, doing homework, watching TV, reading a book or may other options. If you think that your child might be suffering from seasonal affective disorder, it’s important that you contact your child’s physician immediately to discuss diagnosis and treatment.