Philadelphia, PA, December 14, 2009 -- More than one million Americans experience seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, with the most common form caused by reduced sunlight during the fall and winter months.

This normally festive time of year poses challenges for people with SAD, and also for those who suffer from various mood or eating disorders. Nationally-known Belmont Behavioral Health is ready to help these people with effective inpatient and outpatient services.

Contrary to popular belief, the holiday season is not a time when the overall rate of depression increases. Suicide rates actually fall in November and December, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That said, SAD is still a blight for some. Symptoms include decreased energy, sadness and anxiety, a craving for carbohydrates, weight gain, difficulty concentrating, and withdrawal from friends and family. To warrant an official diagnosis of SAD, an individual must experience such depression during one particular time of the year, and not at any other time, or for at least two years in a row.

“This isn’t just a case of someone feeling a little down for a day or two because he or she can’t get outside on a bad-weather day,” says William Shapiro, PsyD, Program Director, Outpatient Psychiatry Services, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network/Belmont Behavioral Health.

“The symptoms are generally more severe. SAD is thought to be related to a disturbance of an individual’s internal clock that helps regulate sleep and wake cycles. It is diagnosed as a type of major depression,” Dr. Shapiro adds.

Since reduced sunlight can trigger SAD, one good and inexpensive therapy is simply getting outside more to soak up the rays, says Ameet Ravital, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist at Belmont Center for Comprehensive Treatment. Increased exercise and higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids—found in fish oil, flax seed, and walnuts—also may offer relief. If these self-help steps aren’t enough, says Dr. Ravital, people with SAD may want to sit each day in front of a “light box,” a source of bright light that mimics natural sunlight.

Severe cases of SAD may require medication and psychotherapy. It’s also important to encourage those with SAD to maintain their social connections, adds Dr. Shapiro. “When people withdraw, they create a self-fulfilling prophecy of isolation and all its bad effects.”

To learn more about Belmont services for season affective disorder, call 1-800-220-HELP (4357).

CONTACT: Judy Horwitz
Communications Specialist
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
215-456-6767 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it