December: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

This month, we’re looking at Seasonal Affective Disorder, or “SAD”. Sometimes this is referred to as “winter depression”, but SAD can affect people during any season – they may experience depression during the summer months and feel better during winter, although the disorder is more commonly experienced during winter.

The symptoms of SAD are very similar to the symptoms of depression (you can read a comprehensive list here), however these symptoms come and go with changes in season. It can take a long time to diagnose SAD, as may go through multiple instances of treatment for depression before a pattern is realised.

Many people are familiar with the term Seasonal Affective Disorder but don’t fully understand it, for example they may think of it as just “winter blues” or “feeling a bit low,” when in reality SAD can impact a person’s life just as seriously as other forms of depression.

You can listen to a podcast or read the transcript about a person’s experience with SAD here, on the Mind UK website.

You may need to seek help for SAD if it begins to affect your day-to-day life and ability to cope. You can read more about treatment options and how to get help here.

What will you see from Safe In Our World this month?

Throughout December we will be highlighting information, insights and experiences of Seasonal Affective Disorder, such as:

• Article: “How Skyrim’s open world helped me through my Seasonal Affective Disorder”
• Article: “Ease your winter woes with a virtual wellness walk”
• Panel: “Let’s talk about SAD”

We’ll also be spotlighting relevant games throughout the month and continuing the conversation on our Discord, social media and website.