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Who Gets SAD? SAD can affect adults, teens, and children. It's estimated that about 6 in every 100 people (6%) experience SAD. The number of people with SAD varies from region to region. One study of SAD in the United States found the rates of SAD were seven times higher among people in New Hampshire than in Florida, suggesting that the farther people live from the equator, the more likely they are to develop SAD. Interestingly, when people who get SAD travel to areas far south of the equator that have longer daylight hours during winter months, they do not get their seasonal symptoms. This supports the theory that SAD is related to light exposure. Most people don't get seasonal depression (SAD), even if they live in areas where days are shorter during winter months. Experts don't fully understand why certain people are more likely to experience SAD than others. It may be that some people are more sensitive than others to variations in light, and therefore may experience more dramatic shifts in hormone production, depending on their exposure to light. Like other forms of depression, females are about four times more likely than males to develop SAD. People with relatives who have experienced depression are also more likely to develop it. Individual biology, brain chemistry, family history, environment, and life experiences may also make certain individuals more prone to SAD and other forms of depression. Researchers are continuing to investigate what leads to SAD, as well as why some people are more likely than others to experience it.
SAD
Seasonal Affective Disorder