Features

• According to the Mayo Clinic, seasonal affective disorder, also called SAD, comes and goes in cycles that take place at the same time every year.
  
  

Types

• There are actually three different types of seasonal affective disorder. They are fall and winter, spring and summer and reverse SAD.
  
  

Fall and Winter

• During the fall and winter, the days are shorter and there is not as much natural sunlight, which can cause SAD in some people. Some of the symptoms are oversleeping, lack of energy, weight gain and anxiety.
  
  

Spring and Summer

• Although winter is the most common time to get SAD, it can also occur in the spring and summer. Some symptoms include lack of appetite, increased sex drive, irritability and agitation.
  
  

Mania

• In some rare cases, people react in ways that are totally opposite to the depressive symptoms. This is called "reverse SAD," and some of the symptoms are hyperactivity, persistent elevated moods and elation over a situation that is irrelevant.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• Light therapy is used in the wintertime to help treat seasonal affective disorder. In the worst of cases, doctors will also recommend behavioral therapy or medication.