One out of every 5 adults in the United States experienced mental illness in 2021—that’s nearly 60 million people. However, most of those adults did not receive treatment for their mental illness. A significant barrier for many patients who wish to improve their condition is the stigma associated with seeking help from a mental health professional. The compounded nature of this increased visibility and stigma requires a delicate and knowledgeable approach once a patient decides to meet with a clinician. While the causes of mental illness cannot be controlled by a mental health professional, the manner of approach, appropriate diagnosis, and management of mental health conditions certainly are.
One of the most common mental health conditions in the country is depression, and globally it is the leading cause of disability. The presence of depression has been steadily increasing in the United States in recent history. A 2023 Gallup Panel report shows that since 2015 there has been a nearly 10% increase in adults who have received a depression diagnosis at some point in their lifetime. Prioritizing the mental health care of patients is of the utmost importance, as well as working with those patients to find a successful treatment plan since the majority who seek treatment eventually respond to it.
Two prevalent types of depression include major depressive disorder (MDD) and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In the United States, 21 million adults had at least 1 major depressive episode in 2020, while SAD affects about 13 million adults. MDD typically occurs around age 20 and more often among women but can begin at any age and affect men as well. SAD is more common in northern areas where seasons change and there is less sunlight once daylight saving time ends, but SAD can affect people all around the country. SAD can also be common among those who already present with MDD and show an increase or shift in symptoms during the fall and winter months, making it important to closely monitor the treatment plan. Both SAD and MDD are serious medical conditions and should be identified, properly diagnosed, and treated.
While MDD and SAD share the same symptoms, the timing or duration of them will help distinguish between these diagnoses. For an MDD diagnosis, symptoms are experienced for at least 2 weeks and include feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day; losing interest in activities once enjoyed; experiencing changes in appetite/weight; feeling hopeless/worthless; feeling sluggish or agitated/moving slowly; having low energy; having problems with sleep; having difficulty concentrating; and having frequent thoughts of death or suicide. When these symptoms occur in a seasonal pattern, it can be indicative of a diagnosis of SAD, which can often include oversleeping; overeating, particularly with a craving for carbohydrates; weight gain; and social withdrawal.
While an appropriate treatment plan should be determined by the clinician, it can include various approaches such as talk therapy, prescription treatment, light therapy, and self-care, among others. The overall priority should be for the clinician to establish a trusted relationship with the patient to better understand and meet their diagnosis needs with an effective treatment plan.
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American Psychiatric Association. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/seasonal-affective-disorder. Accessed October 15, 2023.
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Hansen BT, Sønderskov KM, Hageman I, et al. Daylight savings time transitions and the incidence rate of unipolar depressive episodes. Epidemiology. 2017;28(3):346-353.
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National Alliance on Mental Illness. Mental health by the numbers. https://nami.org/mhstats. Accessed October 15, 2023.
National Institute of Mental Health. Major depression. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression. Accessed October 15, 2023.
National Institute of Mental Health. Seasonal affective disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder. Accessed October 15, 2023.
Ogunwole SU, Rabe MA, Roberts AW, et al. U.S. adult population grew faster than nation’s total population from 2010 to 2020. United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/08/united-states-adult-population-grew-faster-than-nations-total-population-from-2010-to-2020.html. Accessed October 15, 2023.
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The editorial staff had no role in this post's creation.