Not available January 16? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that begins as sunlight dwindles in the fall and continues into the dark winter months. These “winter blues,” which are more common among people with ADHD, cause feelings of sadness and depression, sap energy and motivation, and bring changes to sleep patterns. Reduced sunlight in the winter is thought to disrupt the body’s internal clock, leading to:
- Feelings of depression
- A drop in serotonin, the brain’s feel-good chemical
- A disruption in melatonin levels, which play a role in sleep disturbances
Chronotherapy is a SAD treatment that works by resetting the biological clock in the brain to alter the sleep-wake cycle and to lift mood. This can be done in combination with treatment modalities including sleep-hygiene, melatonin, and light therapy. New research is also illuminating the effect of light therapy on ADHD symptoms as well as SAD. In one study from prof. Kooij’s team involving delayed sleep phase syndrome, the most common sleep disturbance in adults with ADHD, chronotherapy with melatonin reduced ADHD symptoms by 14 percent.
In this webinar, you will learn:
- How to recognize seasonal mood changes and their effects on ADHD symptoms
- The ways in which late sleep patterns affects circadian rhythm and SAD
- How chronic sleep deprivation affects your health
- About therapies and strategies to improve mood, energy, and sleep during the winter months
credit https://www.additudemag.com/webinar/seasonal-affective-disorder-depression-adhd/
Meet the Expert Speaker
J.J. Sandra Kooij is a psychiatrist at PsyQ, psycho-medical programs, and Head of the Expertise Center Adult ADHD, in the Netherlands. She is a professor of adult ADHD studies at the Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam. She received her PhD in 2006.
Since 2002, Dr. Kooij has been the head of the Dutch Expertise Center Adult ADHD and involved in research, treating patients, educating professionals, informing the public, publishing books, scientific papers, websites, webinars and podcasts, and launched a new ADHD app, Super Brains. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed international papers and more than 20 books or book chapters on ADHD in adults.
Seasonal Affective Disorder: More Resources
- Read: Seasonal Affective Disorder and the ADHD Brain
- Get: The Free Healthy Habits Handbook from ADDitude
- Read: 6 Ways to Overcome Winter Depression
- Self-Test: Could You Have Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome?
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