Seasonal Depression Quiz: How to Recognize the Symptoms
Answering ‘yes’ to more than one question on a seasonal depression quiz can be indicative of one suffering from seasonal depression. Sadly, most people tormented by this disheartening mental disorder aren’t even aware they are suffering from an undiagnosed mental condition. Here is your guideline for everything you need to know about seasonal depression. Correlatively, taking a medically authorized seasonal depression quiz can give you or a loved one all the insight needed to get professional help.
What is Seasonal Depression?
Seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder, commonly referred to as SAD, is a mental health condition that annually manifests itself at very specific seasons. These bouts of seasonal depression often occur during seasons with less sunlight like winter or spring. However, they can take place any time of the year and be caused for a variety of reasons. Thankfully, First City Recovery has the highest quality therapists to assess and treat the underlying cause of your SAD.
Seasonal Depression Quiz
If you answer yes to one or more of the following seasonal depression quiz questions, seek a physician for further therapeutic guidance.
Seasonal Depression Quiz
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How to Assess Your Questionnaire Results
If you answered yes to only one or two questions, you may not be a seasonal depression sufferer. However, it cannot be completely ruled out. If you are uncertain, still advise a physician for diagnosis.
If you answered yes to at least 3 of these questions, getting a diagnosis for SAD is recommended as it is likely you possess this condition.
Answering yes to half or more of this assessment means you are likely experiencing harsher symptoms of seasonal depression and should immediately consult an assessment specialist.
What are the Symptoms of Seasonal Depression?
The easiest way to assess seasonal depression aside from taking a seasonal depression quiz is to see if your symptoms align with SAD. Consult a physician if any of the following symptoms describe you.
Extreme Sadness at the Same Time Annually
The first and most obvious symptom of SAD is feeling hopelessness or sadness at the same time every year. This sadness can be due to specific emotional reasons or has no underlying cause. Don’t delay if this symptom describes you. Seasonal depression is a serious disorder that can cause rash decisions in the spur of the moment. Don’t let seasonal hopelessness keep you in the trenches of depression.
Season-Specific Fatigue
Feeling annual fatigue at a specific time of year is another tell-tale indicator of SAD. Unlike other forms of drowsiness, seasonal depression-based fatigue occurs specifically due to the draining characteristics of utter sadness. Seasonal depression fatigue is also easily characterized by its season-specific drowsiness for no apparent cause. If you have felt or are feeling fatigued at a precise time of the year for a specific reason or no apparent cause, get treatment now.
Seasonal Anxiety
Increased paranoia or elevated anxiety experienced annually pertaining to a specific season could mean you suffer from seasonal depression. Much like most of the prior points, this seasonal-based anxiety often arises swiftly and for no apparent cause. SAD-related anxiety can vary in severity from mild to severe to include paranoid delusions in the most severe cases.
Season-specific Junk Food Cravings
It’s normal to crave specific foods once in a while. However, craving the same junk food at the same time every year could be indicative of a seasonal depression coping mechanism. These cravings are often a mental and physical expression of a depressed mind. These food desires are not a solution, but like drugs or alcohol, are a temporary escape fixation from the deeper issue at hand.
Social Isolation during Precise Seasons
If you are uncharacteristically unsociable during a specific season, it may be time to seek a medical diagnosis for mental disorders. This behavior is likely not only noticeable to you but also to those closest to you. You don’t have to suffer through these seasonal mood withdrawals alone. Your loved ones and friends at First City Recovery are here to help and support you through your depression battles.
Tips for Coping with SAD
The most helpful resolution for seasonal depression is learning proactive ways to cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder. The following can help you apply proactive behavioral solutions in conjunction with professional treatment.
Expose Yourself to More Sunlight
One of the key contributors to seasonal affective disorder is a lack of sunlight. Even if it is overcast out, you’d be surprised what a regular walk, open curtains, or other forms of sunlight exposure will do for the human psyche. Improved sunlight exposure has direct effects on increased serotonin levels. Therefore, the more sunlight you get, the more natural happy cells you’ll produce, and the happier you are likely to be.
Get Better Sleep
Though this may be easier said than done for people with SAD, there are a few sleep remedies that may help. Simple and effective over-the-counter drugs like melatonin, which is the body’s naturally produced chemical to induce sleep, are a good place to start. If that doesn’t help, there are a variety of sleep medications that can help you sleep better than you have in years. Consult your physician to see which sleep medication may work best for you.
Eat Healthy
This doesn’t mean to stop eating out. However, it is important to incorporate better eating habits as SAD is frequently linked to improper nutrition deficiencies. You may find one of the primary causes of your seasonal depression and anxiety. Try incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and other healthier options into your diet and you may be surprised at the positive impact it has on your mental and physical health.
Force Yourself to Socialize
When you’re struggling with depression, the last thing most people want to do is socialize. Depression encourages seclusion and self-isolation which is the worst thing for anybody battling depression symptoms. The best thing for depression is to spend more time with your friends and family even if you don’t feel like it. Once you are in that social setting, it does wonders for your mental health. At the end of the day, you’ll be glad you pushed yourself to be more social.
Set Small Achievable Goals for Yourself
It’s great to have high expectations for yourself, but don’t set those high aspirations as the “must achieve” goals too soon. Instead, set small, achievable short-term goals to help you inch closer to the bigger picture. The reason that’s so important is because depression is often the result of self-disappointment from falling short of one’s expectations. These achievable goals not only boost your self-confidence but are more effective in helping you inch closer to the bigger picture you desire.
Why is it Important to Catch SAD Symptoms Early?
Identifying SAD symptoms early is imminent for your mental and physical health for a wide range of reasons. The following vitalities are just a few examples of the importance of catching seasonal depression early.
Sudden Unprecedented Depression without Warning can be Overwhelming
Seasonal depression comes upon you like a car going from 100 miles per hour to zero in an instant. Life can be moving along great until seasonal depression brings your joy to a screeching halt. If your mentally reinforced safety measures aren’t in place it can send you for a life-altering jolt that can result in self-harming consequences. Spotting the early indications that something is wrong can help you take the proper safety measures to cope with the sudden discouragement of SAD symptoms.
Self-identifying symptoms can Aid Therapeutic Resolution
Identifying your symptoms and triggers helps your therapists chart the most effective personalized treatment for your case of depression. This is why it is so vital to be openly honest with your doctors and most importantly, honest with yourself. In turn, enacting these observational traits makes your treatment more enjoyable and effective on all fronts.
Symptom Identification Can Help Diagnosis
The vast majority of SAD sufferers aren’t aware they have seasonal depression. That’s why being aware of your early symptoms is an intricate asset to physicians to assist in medical diagnosis. This helps you and your doctor stay a step ahead to properly treat your specific symptoms and condition. Speak with our compassionate treatment team to make sense of the symptoms you’re experiencing and rectify them with the right treatment methods.
Catching Signs Early Help Pinpoint the Exact Season of Your Depression
Some people with seasonal depression may feel something is amiss, but not know exactly when their symptoms start. Being observant of when the onset of extreme sadness and depression occurs is half the battle towards understanding what you’re up against. From there on out, you and your therapist can work together to modify your treatment to suit your needs more accurately.
Identifying Early Symptoms Help Doctors Determine the Underlying Cause
When you catch symptoms early, it makes it easier to pinpoint the underlying cause of your seasonal depression. These early signs tell the story by answering when they started, what triggered these depression symptoms, and why they occurred to begin with.
What are the Most Effective Treatments for Seasonal Depression?
Our most effective treatment options consist of Individual, group, or family therapies, as well as cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapies. The reason for the variety of treatment options is that First City Recovery understands each case is unique and must be treated as such. These effective treatment options depend on your personal needs, traits, history, and responses to specific treatments. There is no single blanket generic treatment that fits everybody. What may be an effective program for one person, may be less effective for others. Reach out to us to learn more about what treatment option best suits you.
First City Recovery Has the Answers You Seek
If you are battling SAD symptoms, we have the answers to help you cope and overcome the stresses of this difficult condition. Together we can help you find your joy to overcome the stresses, anxieties, and sadnesses of the season that leaves you feeling hopeless. All it takes is a click, tap, or call to get the best quality help you need, when you need it.
MD, Psychiatrist
Dr. Vahid Osman, MD is a psychiatry specialist in Indianapolis, IN.
Dr. Osman completed a residency at Austin State Hospital. He has over 32 years of experience in Psychiatry & Behavioral Health. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
