Have you ever noticed in the winter time you seem to be more sad? Children can experience the same winter blues. So what are the winter blues? The winter blues are also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Children who have seasonal affective disorder have increased feelings of sadness when the days get shorter. Most commonly it occurs in the winter months when you go to bed when it is dark and you wake up when it is dark. Although some people can also have the same symptoms in spring and summer.
There is no known cause for SAD. It is suspected to be due to lack of sunlight and having more hours of darkness during the waking hours. We do know that sunlight helps our brain produce melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin helps our brain with sleep and serotonin helps fight depression. So we believe there is a correlation between limited sunlight and SAD, and it is unclear as to why some people are affected and others are not.
The symptoms for SAD are very similar to that of depression. Your child may withdrawal from activities that they normally enjoy, want to stay in the room and self isolate, have increased fatigue and lack of energy, sleep a lot or not enough and even express feeling sadness. Often times there is not a trigger for their sadness it is just random bouts of feeling sad, an overwhelming feeling of sadness. Sometimes you may notice over eating or under eating, eating their emotions. It can be extremely difficult to tell the difference between SAD and depression in children. Because a pattern has to be established over time and seasons.
To diagnose SAD your provider we will do a physical exam, a thorough assessment of symptoms, rule out any other potential causes, use screening tools and look for seasonal patterns. If a diagnoses is made, there are several treatments/therapies that can make handling the symptoms of SAD more manageable.
- Opening the window shades in your home. Simply bringing more sunlight into your life can treat mild cases.
- Spending time outdoors every day, even on cloudy days.
- Exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet, one low in carbohydrates and high in vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.
- Using a “dawn simulator,” which gradually turns on the bedroom light, tricking the body into thinking it’s an earlier sunrise.
- Planning a mid-winter family vacation to a sunny climate.
- Light therapy – sitting in front of a strong light box or wearing light visors, with UV rays filtered out. However, light therapy may have risks when used for children. Talk to your child’s doctor before considering this treatment option.
***Taken from Healthychildren.org
If none of these therapies work and the symptoms are still significant your provider may consider medications similar to what is used in the treatment of depression. If you have concerns that your child maybe experiencing symptoms of depression or SAD please contact your provider.