It’s been a hard winter for those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Although the cause of SAD is not known, it is believed to be related to numerous factors including body temperature, hormone regulation and ambient light.

Also referred to as winter depression, SAD is a mood disorder that affects two to three per cent of Canadians. Joy Salmon Moon is one of those who is severely affected.

What sets Moon apart from those who suffer occasional bouts of the winter blues is that every year from about the end of October to mid-April Moon feels depressed, lethargic and lacks energy.

“My husband noticed it,” said Moon of her being affected by the change in season.  “We were in South Carolina. I took athletes there every year during March break so they could run on the roads in their t-shirts and train. The following November, I was down all winter. Even on a sunny day, it didn’t lift me. A normal person (not affected by SAD) can feel gloomy but on sunny days they get right back up. I felt absolutely awful for the entire winter.”

Moon explained that in late November of 1992, her husband was watching the news, which was featuring a special report on SAD.   

“My husband said, ‘That’s you,’ said Joy, adding that he sent away for some information on the disorder, which came arrived a week after he died. “The doctor told me I couldn’t be tested (for SAD) for two years after having a sudden traumatic event.”

In 1994, she was diagnosed with SAD after undergoing a series of tests at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto. Shortly after her diagnosis, Moon bought a $400 lightbox, also referred to as Day-Lights or light therapy, which deliver 10,000 lux, the level of illumination one would experience when taking a walk on a clear, spring day. When Moon decided in 2001 to move north, she purchased a house that had skylights so she could get as much natural light as possible when she was inside.  

“This was a bad year,” said Moon, adding that there were often two to three days without sunlight. “I didn’t go under the lightbox every day, which I’m supposed to. I only sat under it five days out of seven. I’m supposed to sit under it every day for 30 to 45 minutes.”

Some of the things that Moon does to help her feel better during the winter months, aside from sitting under the lightbox, are to eat properly, making sure to have lots of fruits and vegetables in her diet, and exercise regularly as well.

While there are other treatment options available to SAD sufferers, including monitoring diet, sleep patterns and exercise levels and increasing exposure to light, for those who are severely affected, it may be necessary to devise a treatment plan with a healthcare professional consisting of light therapy, medication and cognitive-behavioural therapy.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s website, the search into what causes SAD is ongoing and currently there is no confirmed cause. While it is thought that SAD is related to seasonal variations in light, recent studies suggest that SAD is more common in northern countries where winter days are shorter. The website explains that an internal biological clock in the brain regulates daily rhythms. The biological clock responds to changes in season, partly because of the differences in the length of the day. Other research shows that neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers in the brain that help regulate sleep, mood, and appetite, may also be disturbed in SAD.

Because the disorder can be difficult to diagnose, as the symptoms are similar to other types of depression or bipolar disorder, generally symptoms that recur for at least two consecutive winters, without any other explanation for the changes in mood and behaviors, indicate an individual has SAD. Symptoms may include a change in appetite, weight gain, decreased energy, fatigue, the tendency to oversleep, difficulty concentrating, irritability, avoidance of social situations and feelings of despair and anxiety.   

Dave Phillips, senior climatologist for Environment Canada, indicated that while there are currently no sunshine stations in Muskoka, which monitor the amount of sunshine daily over a 24-hour periods, sun shine totals for central and southern Ontario have been down this winter. The lack of sunshine, he noted, could be what is making people feeling “down.”

“The other thing we’ve had is long bouts of days with no sunshine,” he said. “In Muskoka, (in December) there was 10 straight days of no sunshine. You don’t really see that too often. In January, there were five days in a row and other times seven days in a row of no sunshine.”

Phillips went on to say that in his opinion, people are quick to self-diagnose. As Canadians, he said, we are used to consistent weather changes and experiencing 10 days of no sunshine starts to become monotonous to people.

“It seems like boring days. . . .  When we don’t have sunshine, it’s a psychological downer. People feel listless and lethargic. We can all feel like this and we start wondering what’s getting us. People are just feeling under the weather. I believe what the psychiatrist are saying, and that is you can actually diagnose 10 per cent of the people with SAD. Otherwise it’s just a bit of the winter blues.”