The key difference between seasonal affective disorder and depression is that in seasonal affective disorder, the depressive episodes occur in seasonal patterns, while in depression, the depressive episodes can occur throughout the year.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and depression are two associated medical conditions. This is because seasonal affective disorder is a subtype of major depression. Seasonal affective disorder happens by changes in season. In contrast, depression is not caused due to seasonal changes. However, both seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and depression can be treated through a combination of SSRIs (antidepressants) and cognitive behavioral therapy.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Seasonal Affective Disorder
3. What is Depression
4. Similarities – Seasonal Affective Disorder and Depression
5. Seasonal Affective Disorder vs. Depression in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Seasonal Affective Disorder vs. Depression
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a subtype of depression. In this medical condition, depression episodes occur due to seasonal changes. In SAD, the symptoms begin and end at about the same time every year. For example, people may experience symptoms in the fall and continue into the winter months every year. The signs and symptoms of SAD may include feeling sad and down most of every day, losing interest in activities once enjoyed, having low energy, sluggishness, problems in too much sleeping, experiencing carbohydrate cravings, difficulty in concentrating, feeling hopeless or worthless, and having thoughts of not wanting to live.
Seasonal affective disorder can be caused by changes in the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) due to decreased sunlight, reduced serotonin level, and changes in the melatonin level. The risk factors for SAD include family history, having major depression or bipolar disorder, living far from the equator, and low vitamin D level.
Moreover, seasonal affective disorder can be diagnosed through physical examination, lab tests (complete blood and thyroid tests), and psychological testing. Furthermore, seasonal affective disorder is treated through light therapy, psychotherapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy in combination with SSRI antidepressants.
What is Depression?
Depression is a mood disorder. It causes persistent sad feelings and loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It may also lead to difficulty in thinking, memory, eating, and sleeping. There are different types of depression, such as clinical depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, depressive disorder due to another medical condition, seasonal affective disorder, prenatal depression, and atypical depression. The symptoms of this condition may include feeling sad, not enjoying things once enjoyed, being easily irritated, eating less and weight loss, sleeping trouble, having low energy or fatigue, having concentrating difficulty, sexual dysfunction, and self-harm or suicidal thoughts.
Depression can be caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine), genetics, stressful life events, medical conditions (chronic pain and diabetes), and medications (substance use and alcohol). There are different risk factors associated with depression, including certain personality traits, traumatic or stressful events, blood relatives with a history of depression, being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, history of other mental health disorders (anxiety), alcohol abuse, and usage of recreational drugs, serious chronic illnesses like cancer, stroke, chronic pain or heart disease, and certain medications (high blood pressure medications or sleeping pills).
Moreover, depression can be diagnosed through physical examinations, lab tests (blood count and thyroid test), psychiatric evaluation, and DSM-5 criteria. Furthermore, depression can be treated through medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), atypical antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), other medicines (mood stabilizers or antipsychotics), psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
What are the Similarities Between Seasonal Affective Disorder and Depression?
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and depression are two associated medical conditions.
- Seasonal affective disorder is a subtype of major depression.
- Depression episodes characterize both conditions.
- They can be diagnosed through physical examination and psychological evaluation.
- Both seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and depression can be treated through a combination of SSRI antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy.
What is the Difference Between Seasonal Affective Disorder and Depression?
In seasonal affective disorder, depressive episodes occur in seasonal patterns, while in depression, depressive episodes can occur throughout the year. Thus, this is the key difference between seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and depression. Furthermore, seasonal affective disorder can be caused by changes in the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) due to decreased sunlight, reduced serotonin levels, and melatonin level changes. On the other hand, depression can be caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine), genetics, stressful life events, medical conditions (chronic pain and diabetes), and medications (substance use and alcohol).
The infographic below presents the differences between seasonal affective disorder and depression in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Seasonal Affective Disorder vs Depression
Depression is a serious medical illness that negatively affects how people feel, think, and act. Depression causes a loss of interest, difficulty thinking, memory, eating, and sleeping. In depression, depressive episodes occur throughout the year. There are different types of depression. Seasonal affective disorder is a subtype of major depression. The seasonal affective disorder causes depressive episodes and similar depression symptoms, which occur in seasonal patterns. So, this summarizes the difference between seasonal affective disorder and depression.
Reference:
1. “Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).” Mayo Clinic.
2. “Depression: What It Is, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and More.” Medical News Today.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Depression-Sad-Rain-Cloud” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “Depression-2912424 1280” By Pixabay (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia