Seasonal Depression Gets Boost From Congress

March 9, 2007 — -- Daylight-saving time has been a rite of April for many of the last 30 years. But that changes this Sunday morning, when clocks spring forward three weeks ahead of schedule.

Congress's legally binding response to Punxsutawney Phil's unreliable shadow is known to many as the true marker of spring. However, to Americans with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), those who craft their daily routines to maximize exposure to daylight, it means much more.

"Individuals with [SAD] do well when they are exposed to bright light early in the morning," said Dr. Dan Blazer, a psychiatrist at the Duke University Medical Center.

Bedrooms and living rooms are rearranged so that sunlight can find its most direct route to couches and beds. And work hours must be carefully monitored so that a person suffering from seasonal depression isn't cut off from natural light 40 or 50 hours per week.

But with sunrise pushed back, more people around the country will spend their morning commute in relative darkness.

As a result, the 10 percent to 20 percent of the American population which the American Psychiatric Association said have experienced some form of seasonal depression in the past may find symptoms popping up earlier than usual.

The stigma that still surrounds depression is only heightened when discussing SAD, its temporal cousin. Many find it hard to believe that there can be a relationship between mental health and the amount of hours the sun shines in a given day.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, SAD has been linked to a biochemical imbalance in the brain brought on by the shortening of daylight hours and a lack of sunlight in winter. It's as real as the common cold or a tough case of strep throat, psychiatrists say.

"Younger persons and women are thought to be at higher risk. There is also some evidence suggesting that the farther someone lives from the equator, the more likely they are to develop SAD," the APA reported in a 2004 press release.