Your own SAD experiences

I've never heard of seasonal affective disorder until recently, and I found out that it fits me quite well. I'm currently a 3rd year in college and I've slightly noticed for several years that my mood and energy levels change with the changing of seasons - specifically from winter to spring/spring to summer.
I looked into hormonal changes, my birth control, what I ate, how active I was, and there was never a consistent factor besides the time of year. It makes more sense now why this depression never stayed for more than a few months, like how most people who have depression.

It just never made sense why I would feel depressed seemingly out of nowhere, until now. So I just want to see if anyone else wants to share their experiences with SAD to see if I can relate; because even though it makes sense, it still doesn't feel valid/real to me that I might have this problem.

My depression gets worse in the summer, not really SAD... for me, it took a bit to figure out why. Finally it clicked that I had a significant trauma that occurred over the summer between 11th and 12th grade. Somehow, my brain correlated the trauma to the season. The change in weather (it gets really hot where I live starting May and June) and also the longer days (I have also become a night owl, less people, less anxiety) trigger my depression. What made it click was when I realized that the depression started to subside around September, which is homecoming for high schools here normally. Pretty much as soon as I started seeing mums at the grocery store floral area, I started feeling better. That detail was significant to the end of the trauma.

I'm not trying to say you don't have SAD, but just trying to point out that there may be some off the wall explanation for the depression.

Puck

Despite me being on this thread, I never really suffered legitimate depression. However, mood changes between seasons is rather common, just not to the extremity of what you seem to be mentioning. Although it is rather odd, usually people perk up around summer and fall into depression in winter, but in my case it has always been the opposite. That heat never works out well for me.

But regardless, if you determined this to be the cause of your depression, then you can take a few preventative measures (though not necessarily flawless measures) including adjustments in lighting, acquiring the appropriate vitamins (assuming you suffer from winter depression that is), and adjusting indoor temperatures accordingly. Best of luck.

I suffer with Reverse SAD - it is a much rarer and less understood form but it does exist, there is ample info online. In fact I just came to the Depression Forum now because it always starts around this time of year for me, like clockwork. The spring tends to be my lowest and it lifts somewhat around June, but I never really feel my best until early September. Then no mood issues during the fall and winter, that's when I am most even tempered, happiest and most productive.

There isn't nearly as much known about Reverse SAD as the more common variant, but there are studies showing that some individuals who were born in the winter are more prone to Reverse SAD. I was born at the end of February. I also apparently experienced some trauma during the first few months of my life that I have no conscious memory of and only know from my father's report. It was about my mom's intense anxiety around not knowing how to care for a newborn baby (myself) and apparently it took her a few months and help from a nanny to learn and become more comfortable. My dad described it to me as quite erratic.

Other than these, I have no idea about the source. It's gotten more pronounced with age (after my mid-30's). Typically first it starts not with depression but a short hypomanic-like spell, followed with a few months of a very typical Reverse SAD episode that's described in professional literature. I do intensely dislike hot weather and humidity and am not crazy for long bright sunny days. Never had issues with colder, cloudy weather and milder climates (when I lived in such areas).

I hear so much about SAD during the fall and winter months; as that seems to be common. With me I feel off in the spring going into summer. There are a couple of reasons why it's that way for me. First, I've had some health issues happen to me in the spring, including surgery. Also it tends to be the time that I have doctor visits that I don't like that much. Spring used to be a nice time of year for me. Another reason is that I feel more exposed to people and noise that I prefer not to have around.

Have you used a light box in the fall & winter?

I start getting severely depressed in November and it lasts until March or April even though I use a light box. At that time of year, my doctor adds an extra ad to try to head it off. Only partially effective.

So glad I'm not the only one who suffers from this weird mood disorder. Used to be summer person, swimming, sunning, going to the beach. Due to traumatic events that happened to me in the spring/summer months of 2009, this time of year hits me when (daylight savings time) arrives. It's like a switch is flipped. Sun, heat, humidity, long days....all get to me. Feel so much better at night and on cloudy days. And when foliage starts turning in Sept.....my mood lifts and relief arrives. Thank you all for sharing your experiences with this rare disorder.

no I have not, I'm not exactly sure what it is. Is helping people with lack of light during winter months the purpose of it? I may give it a go this year to see if it would help.

I'm the exact same way. I get very irritable when I'm hot and it's humid outside. I love sweating when I'm working out, but if I'm gonna sweat from just standing outside, hell no. I'm much happier when it's a tad chillier out. I was also born right around Christmas.
Throughout primary/secondary school, the transition into summer always brought with it the end of basketball season and right into soccer conditioning. I loved both sports, but soccer became the source of a lot of stress for me when we got a new coach.
So maybe this underlying disturbance isn't because of one traumatic event but just the same, smaller events that would happen every year around now. Thank you for sharing.

I have a light box and I find it hugely helpful. Basically it gives you sunlight in the winter. So when it was still dark in the mornings I would sit in front of it for a half an hour before I had to leave for work and for me it makes a difference. It was recommended by my therapist and I feel it's definitely worth looking into.

I use a light box & start in late summer with small amounts. I've noticed thru the yrs that I start too late so for me, I start in end of August & gradually add time.
I also take vitamin D3, 10,000IU in fall & winter