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SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder
Or Why You Get the Winter Blues…
Scott Carroll, MD
UNM School of Medicine
www.scottcarrollmd.com
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Objectives
• How Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) differs from other mood disorders.
• What neurotransmitters and vitamins are associated with SAD.
• 3 non-pharmacological treatments that may be effective for SAD.
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SAD – DSM 5 Criteria
• Mood d/o “with seasonal pattern”
• A – seasonal onset
• B – full remission/switch after season
• C – no non-seasonal episodes x 2yrs
• D – more lifetime seasonal episodes
• Not due to seasonal stressors
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Winter Depression or Hibernation?
• Short, grey days
• Increased sleep
• Low energy
• Dep mood +/-
• Wt gain/crave carbs
• Isolate/low libido
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Summer Depression or Hypomania?
• Long, sunny days
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Irritable mood
• Decreased appetite
• BPAD II is highly seasonal
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SAD – Melatonin vs. Serotonin
• Melatonin – induces sleep
• Serotonin – alertness, mood
• Both made from tryptophan
• Alternate with each other
• Mel triggered by darkness
• NE suppresses melatonin
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SAD - Epidemiology
• Alaska 9.9%
• Florida 1.4%
• AK subclin 24.9%
• Varies w/ latitude and cloud cover
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Geographic Variation
• Ireland ~ 20%
• Netherlands ~10%
• Iceland ~1%
• Japan ~2%
• Genetic?
• Fish based diet?
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SAD – Risk Factors
• Female > male (MDD form, not BPAD)
• Young adults > elderly (low melatonin in elderly?)
• Family history
• Mood disorder > no mood disorder
• High latitude/cloud cover > equator/sunny
• Sedentary > regular exercisers
• Recent move to higher latitude or a cloudy area
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SAD - Pharmacologic Therapy
• Norepinephren inhibits melatonin secretion
• Bupropiron (Wellbutrin/Zyban)
• Modafinil (Provigil) and (probably) armodafinil (Nuvigil)
• Atomoxetine (Strattera)
• Stimulants (methylphenidate and amphetamine)
• SNRI’s and SSRI’s
• Caffeine
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Non-Pharmacologic Therapies
• Dawn/sunlight exposure (windows, going outside)
• Exercise (outdoors during daytime is best)
• Full spectrum light box at > 10K lux (blue or blue-green?)
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Negative air ionization therapy at high density
• Combination therapy
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Alternative Treatments
• Melatonin
• Vitamin D
• Saint John’s Wort
• SAMe
• Fish oil/omega 3 fatty acid (or eating more fish)
• Travel to a sunny location
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Fall/Winter BPAD Treatments
• Optimize mood stabilizers (esp. Lithium and Lamictal)
• Increase sunlight exposure especially at dawn
• Full spectrum light box (30-60 min every morning)
• Melatonin (3-6 mg every night)
• Fish oil (1K to 2K mg twice a day)
• Vitamin D (400 to 1K international units per day)
• Thyroid supplementation
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Spring/Summer BPAD Treatment
• Blackout curtains and eye mask
• Melatonin
• Optimize sleep medications
• Optimize mood stabilizers (add antipsychotic?)
• Fish Oil
• Thyroid supplementation
• Vitamin D
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Reversed BPAD Seasonal Pattern
• ~ 10 – 15% of BPAD w/seasonal pattern
• Confirm true reversed pattern
• Optimize mood stabilizers (Li and Lamictal)
• Melatonin
• Optimize sleep meds
• Fish oil and Vitamin D
• Thyroid supplementation
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More Info At…
• www.mayoclinic.org
• Wikipedia
• www.webmd.com
• My slides are on Slideshare.com, search for Scott Carroll
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Follow Dr. Scott on:
• www.scottcarrollmd.com
• Twitter @ScottCarrollMD
• Facebook - Scott Carroll MD