Fall is many people’s favorite season. In the Northern hemisphere, fall means crisp air, scarves, football, warm drinks, and several fun holidays. However, fall can be tricky for others, who might think more about the less sunny side of the cooler months: the stresses of school year starting, the dark nights after Daylight Savings Time ends, holiday blues, the bleak snowy months for the north, and some of the toughest parts of hurricane season for the south. Some people understandably get more fatigued and down during the fall and winter months, but a small portion of the population, including some kiddos, this time of year can create real and lasting mood disruption. Today, we’ll discuss a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder, talk about how it may show up in kids and teens, and review what adults can do to help youth who may be struggling.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, fittingly) is a type of Major Depressive Disorder. Clinical depression goes beyond “just feeling blue” and is characterized by low mood (sadness, hopelessness), loss of interest in normal activities, notable changes in sleep and appetite, greater difficulty concentrating, and—in more severe cases—thoughts of death or self-harm. These symptoms are more than just a passing bad mood and last at least several weeks at a time, causing disruptions in a person’s social life, school or work life, management of responsibilities, and ability to take care of themselves. In SAD, the seasonal pattern of depression is notable, with depressive episodes showing up more so during certain seasons—often fall and winter in the U.S.—over multiple years. With this fall and winter pattern of mood issues, the symptoms tend to show up as a loss of energy, sleeping too much, craving carbs, overeating, and weight gain.
What Causes SAD?
While not fully understood, SAD is thought to be caused by reduced exposure to sunlight. When getting sunlight, the brain increases serotonin production, which is the happiness brain chemical. When exposed to darkness, the brain produces more melatonin, which is the sleepiness brain chemical, and also less vitamin D, which may further decrease the production of serotonin. Long story short, people’s circadian rhythms may no longer align with their day-to-day routines in the colder, darker months. (For folks who commute, think of how tired you are during the months you leave work when it’s dark out and still have things to do when you get home.) As such, SAD may understandably be more likely to affect people in higher latitudes. Additionally, females, those with comorbid mental health conditions, and those with a family history of mood concerns may also be more susceptible to seasonal affective symptoms.
Can SAD Affect Kids and Teens?
The normal age of SAD onset is between ages 18-30, so can it affect youth as well? In the U.S., about 5% of the adult population experiences SAD. Although less is known about how often youth are affected, initial estimates suggest that it’s a slightly lower number (e.g., 3-4%) than for adults and seems more likely to affect teens than younger children. As noted above, adult women may be more susceptible to SAD symptoms, but in children, boys may actually be more likely to have symptoms until puberty, when girls start surpassing them.
In teens, symptoms might manifest as being hopeless, self-critical, or negative; wanting to sleep more or oversleeping in the morning; and having inconsistent appetite (e.g., craving junk food, not feeling hungry). When SAD is present in younger kids, their moods might look more irritable, emotional, restless, or unfocused—rather than “down,” per se. In general, teens and kids may not want to do homework, not seem like they have the energy to go to school, respond to friends less, talk back to parents or teachers, or not readily engage in the normal family or school routines.
How to Respond to SAD
- Behavioral Activation – One major treatment approach for depression is intentionally planning and engaging in routines and pleasurable activities. Having things to look forward to and ways to stay connected even during the dreary months is important. For youth, this might involve intentionally planning special time with family/friends, participating in clubs or sports, or volunteering—even when energy is low. Hopefully, the positive activities help lift their mood.
- Increase Sunlight – Since increased time in the dark is thought to cause or exacerbate SAD symptoms, it makes sense that increased time in the sun may help alleviate them. You may try changing your schedule to ensure kids can get some more outside time. Get creative: can an inside activity (e.g., lunchtime) be taken outside? Can you re-arrange a room to put a gloomy kiddo nearer a window?
- Bolster Health Behaviors – According to Nemours TeenHealth, “When your body feels better, your brain will feel better.” Paying more attention to eating healthy, moving the body, and keeping consistent and quality sleep schedules can help adolescents and children feel better all around, but especially in fall and winter when some of these routines can be disrupted due to the weather and holidays.
- Regular Support – Exercise patience. Symptoms of SAD do typically improve with the passing of the season. Nevertheless, setting realistic expectations for your family or classroom can reduce pressure for everyone during the tough parts of the year. With the stress of seasonal plans or final exams or foul weather affecting kids and adults, alike, it might not be the time to make big changes, take on big projects, or start new commitments. Maybe that new extracurricular can wait a few months?
- Seek Professional Help – Again, Seasonal Affective Disorder is not just winter blues or a bad day, so it is appropriate to seek a professional opinion and support if the youth in your life are showing these kinds of mood symptoms. A mental health professional may recommend some combination of light therapy, antidepressant medications, vitamin D supplements, and/or therapy to ease symptoms. Furthermore, SAD can have overlapping symptoms with some other medical conditions (e.g., hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, mononucleosis, etc.), so ensuring a kid has had a basic medical check-up is also a good idea.
PracticeWise Connect
For further information on how to help a youth effectively cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), see the PracticeWise Practice Guide and On-Demand Learning course on Activity Selection. Also, consider checking out past blogs on time changes and health behaviors (e.g., sleep, eating, and exercise) to support youth well-being year-round.
Further Information
American Psychiatric Association: Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) (for Teens) | Nemours KidsHealth
About the Author
Taylor Thompson, Ph.D., serves as a distance learning developer and literature coder on the Services and Products Development team at PracticeWise. Dr. Thompson is a licensed psychologist and has provided psychological services to youth, young adults, and families for over 20 years. She completed her PhD in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology at Florida State University. She specializes in assessing and treating ADHD, learning disorders, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorders, behavioral disorders, and relational concerns. Dr. Thompson is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at Florida State University College of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Thompson on the PracticeWise team page.
