Do you worry that your case of seasonal sadness has lasted longer, or is more severe than normal? How do you know if this is merely a temporary 'down time', or if you could be facing an actual problem with Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD)? Ought you to look for medical help? Educate yourself about the symptoms of this condition, how it affects sufferers, and what treatments are most useful.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is more than just experiencing sadness when the weather is bad. This disorder starts to develop when the fall season begins to change to winter and the days become shorter. The majority of people experience symptoms sometime during late summer or early fall. Moreover, because of the severity and consequences of SAD and other types of depression, doctors require extensive evidence of the condition before they are willing to make a definite diagnosis. Although symptoms may be quite severe, doctors do not usually diagnose a patient with this condition until after he or she reports strong evidence of the disorder for at least three consecutive winters.

People who suffer from this disorder begin to have feelings of sadness, decreased motivation, and tend to sleep for long periods. Furthermore, they report a craving for carbohydrates or candy. In addition, the majority of persons diagnosed with SAD also have poor immune system functioning. Often, they become ill much more quickly than those who do not suffer from SAD.

This disorder can negatively affect an individual's ability to function professionally or educationally. This lack of motivation often makes getting out of bed or engaging in one's usual daily activities difficult. Sufferers find it difficult to participate in social situations, or even at home. They frequently have episodes of intense anxiety and irritability. Sometimes, symptoms become severe and disabling enough that victims even consider suicide and have to be hospitalized for treatment.

Not surprisingly, females appear to have a higher rate of SAD than men do. Additionally, this condition seems to get better yearly when spring arrives. Indeed, in March or April, symptoms usually decrease or disappear altogether - until autumn returns again. This is the case even in regions that are frequently dismal all year long. In fact, almost one-fifth of the people treated for seasonal depression will at some point develop symptoms of bipolar disorder.

These people are usually depressed in the winter months, but report normal moods during the remainder of the year. At times, however, people report experiencing instances of uncontrollable elation, also known as mania. As with other types of depression, this condition may become quite severe or even disabling if not treated properly. Additionally, many individuals experience very mild levels of SAD; they may struggle with exhaustion, decreased vigor, and eating difficulties. These individuals, however, rarely suffer instances of depressed moods or anxiety.

This type of depression is relatively uncommon in sunny regions such as Florida, Arizona, and even Colorado. Others, who reside in places with many cloudy days, such as Ohio, Illinois, or Oregon are at higher risk for developing SAD. Residents of countries such as Finland, Sweden, and England also face an increased risk of SAD.

Scientists have attempted many alternative strategies to aid clients overcome this exhausting condition. They have tried exposing people to artificial light in an attempt to aid them to manufacture more serotonin and decrease depression symptoms. Researchers have also tried medicines such as anti-anxiety drugs, and supplements, such as melatonin, to help relieve these symptoms of depression. Often, persons who develop SAD also seek out psychiatrists when their symptoms are at their peak.

Each of these techniques have been used with varying degrees of success. Despite this, all are significantly more costly and time-intensive than two recently introduced, innovative methods. Hypnotherapy practitioners have perfected the art of providing assistance with learning both NLP and self-hypnosis strategies for depression. Through hypnosis, individuals learn to talk themselves out of a depressive period and resolve their symptoms. These useful therapies, hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, have resulting in a phenomenal amount of benefit in helping clients to heal from, and prevent future occurrences of SAD.

Summary: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of winter blues that returns every year at the same season. Only persons who struggle with this condition can determine whether they wish to continue to fight these symptoms on their own, over and over, or to try to get assistance in escaping the effects of this condition forever. Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming to treat SAD are both effective, innovative therapies that offer a rapid relief from these feelings without requiring enormous amounts of money or energy.

Alan B. Densky, CH specializes in depression and stress related symptoms as a certified hypnotist and NLP Practitioner. During his 30-year career he has helped thousands of clients. He offers CDs for self hypnosis depression therapy. Visit his Neuro-VISION hypnosis site for the hypnosis article repository, or watch his free videos on hypnosis.