Seasonal Affect Disorder is a type of depression caused by the changing seasons. It is found mostly in women, however, that could be a misrepresentation since men are less likely to complain about symptoms or seek medical advise. The onset of this illness is generally between the ages of 18 and 30, and then the person affected will see a reoccurrence over year as the days get shorter.

Seasonal Affect Disorder is caused by the change in the number of hours of daylight. The lack of daylight, and the decreased intensity of daylight seriously effects our internal clocks. Some people are not able to adjust to the change smoothly, and that is what leads to seasonal affect disorder. Due to the cause being the change in sunlight, seasonal affect disorder is rare in tropical areas since the number of hours of sunlight each day doesn't change that much.

The symptoms of seasonal affect disorder vary in type, as well as severity. However, most commonly the symptoms include: sleep disruptions, fatigue, lack of concentration, increased social anxiety, loss of sexual drive, anxiety, mood swings, and depression. A diagnosis is typically made once these symptoms have been present three or more years in a row. There is no outright cure for seasonal affect disorder. There are, however, things you can do. For example, your doctor can put you on a regime of anti-depressants starting before time change until a set time after the time change. You can engage in light therapy, which would involve spending time in front of sun lamps to get artificial sunlight to make up for the loss in actual sunlight. In extreme cases, you can also move to a tropical region where the symptoms are not likely to reoccur. This could be a sincere option in cases of severe symptoms. Some patients actually become suicidal during the seasonal changes, and are a danger to themselves and others.