Ah, 密歇根的冬天——在那里，大自然母亲可以让一天阳光明媚，温度在50华氏度, and a no good, horrible ice storm the next.

Is it any wonder that, at best, many of us get the “winter blues,而另一些人则在与更严重的痛苦作斗争，这种痛苦通常被称为季节性情感障碍(SAD)。?

一位对外开放大学的教授正在做一些事情, 最近提供了关于谁会患上SAD的见解, what causes it, and how to treat SAD.

“Seasonal affective disorder: Etiology, 对一种被低估的常见病的症状和预防,” was presented by Changiz Mohiyeddini, Ph.D., professor, 基础医学研究系, 行为医学和精神病理学主任.

“Human cognition, emotion, and behavior show seasonal patterns,” said Mohiyeddini, in introducing SAD.

SAD ‘among the most undiagnosed’

从技术上讲，诊断是“季节性重度抑郁症”.” More commonly known as SAD, it was first described in 1984, 而且“不被认为是一种单独的、独特的情绪障碍, 而是一种特殊的重度抑郁症.”

抑郁症的症状包括:一天中大部分时间都感到抑郁, nearly every day; losing interest in activities that were once enjoyed; experiencing changes in appetite or weight; having problems with sleep; low energy; feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness; difficulty concentrating; and/or frequent thoughts of death or suicide.

Mohiyeddini指出，SAD并不局限于冬季，它在夏季也会影响许多人.

除了典型的抑郁症状, those affected by SAD in the winter also may experience: oversleeping; weight gain/change in hunger; overeating with a particular craving for carbohydrates; awkward feelings in the arms and legs; and increased social anxiety.

To be diagnosed with SAD, 一个人必须有严重抑郁症的症状, 并且在特定季节至少连续两年出现抑郁发作.

莫希耶迪尼说，据信，美国有超过10%的人不喜欢吸烟.S. have SAD, 但他指出，这是“最未确诊”的疾病之一, and that the number could be higher.

No one knows exactly why people get SAD, but research points to abnormal responses to low environmental light levels in winter; reduced activity of serotonin; production of too much melatonin; vitamin D deficiencies; and generally having negative thoughts and feelings about winter and its associated limitations.

‘Change our thought pattern’

Mohiyeddini提出了几种治疗SAD的方法.

The first, he said, is light therapy. Specifically, 建议暴露在至少10度的光线下,000 lux for 20-30 minutes. 灯光距离脸部不应超过24英寸，眼睛应保持睁开, but not looking directly at the light.

莫希耶迪尼说:“当我们刚醒来就暴露自己时，效果会更好。.  

医生也可能用药物治疗SAD. 安非他酮XL(品牌为安非他酮XL)有美国.S. 美国食品和药物管理局批准SAD适应症. Mohiyeddini说，研究表明这种药物是有效的.

他说，维生素D的营养补充剂也可能有助于治疗SAD.

“很多很多人都缺乏维生素D，即使他们没有症状，”Mohiyeddini说.

另一种选择是认知行为疗法(CBT-SAD), 它的目的是帮助人们学习如何应对困难的情况.

Essentially, CBT-SAD侧重于用更积极的想法取代与冬季有关的消极想法.

CBT-SAD还使用一种称为行为激活的过程, 什么能帮助人们识别和安排愉快的事情, 参与活动(室内和室外)，以对抗他们在冬季通常经历的兴趣丧失.

它被认为和光疗一样有效.

莫希耶迪尼说:“并不是冬天造成了问题，而是我们思考问题的方式。. “The idea is to change our thought pattern; the impact of winter might be different.”

The bottom line?

As debilitating as SAD might seem, 有很多方法可以处理它，但这取决于每个人如何做.

“You are the best, and often the only, 守护你自己的精神健康和幸福,” said Mohiyeddini. “如果你期望别人会照顾你的健康和幸福, that is probably risky behavior.”

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