Who is affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?

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Who is affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?

People who are more prone to developing seasonal affective disorder (SAD) include:^{1, 2}

• Females. Between 60% and 90% of people diagnosed with SAD are women.
• Older teens and young adults. Young people are at higher risk for winter depressive episodes. The risk of developing SAD for the first time decreases as a person grows older.
• People who live far from the equator.
• People who have a family history of SAD.

References

Citations

1. American Psychiatric Association (2000). Seasonal pattern section of Mood disorders. In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., text rev., pp. 425–427. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

2. Lam RW, Levitt AJ (1999). Canadian Consensus Guidelines for the Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Summary of the Report of the Canadian Consensus Group on SAD. Vancouver, BC: Clinical and Academic Publishers. Also available online: http://www.psychdirect.com/depression/d-treatmentguidelinesSAD.htm.

Credits

Last updated:	August 22, 2006
Author:	Sabra L. Katz-Wise
Reviewed By:	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine, Alfred Lewy, MD, PhD - Neurology, Psychiatry
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Terrina Vail