Feelings of sadness or simply being down impact many people in today’s day and age. It seems like almost everyone has a bad day here and there, but what happens when one bad day leads to the next? And when a string of bad days turns into a month where you feel down and blue?

There are two primary conditions that can cause you to feel down about life: depression and seasonal affective disorder. While they both may look the same to the outside world, they do have very different characteristics.

Let’s look at the differences between the two so you can better assess what might be going on in your mind.

Depression

Depression is a serious condition that can range from moderate to more severe and in some cases, can actually require hospitalization. Usually, those who are suffering from depression tend to have a chemical imbalance in their brain that can be caused due to genetics or drug use. Some people are simply more at risk for suffering from depression and then when a negative life event takes place, this sends them spiraling into a full-blown depressive state.

In any cases, proper medical intervention is often utilized to help these individuals start to feel better. While very moderate forms of depression may be treated naturally with smarter food choices and exercises, in most cases, drug support will be needed.

Depressed individuals tend to feel this way regardless of the time of year and generally speaking, just don’t want to go out of their home and partake in ‘life’ so to speak.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

On the other hand, those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder only tend to feel blue during certain times of the year — usually during the winter months. While there are some brain chemistry issues going on here as well, it’s often due more to the lack of bright sunshine light these people are getting.

The winter months typically bring shorter daylight hours and if you leave home in the dark, work in an office without windows and then go home in the dark, you really aren’t getting much actual daylight at all. This impacts your mood and can also influence your vitamin D status as well. Since vitamin D is produced in the body when you are exposed to natural sunshine, if you aren’t getting any exposure, you aren’t getting that vitamin D built up either.

The good news is that seasonal affective disorder is, generally speaking, a bit easier to treat. Individuals are encouraged to utilize vitamin D supplements on a regular basis to help boost their vitamin D status and on top of that, they may use "happy lights" which emit similar light rays as the sun does at their desk. This can help to reverse the issues associated with seasonal affective disorder, helping them feel healthier overall.

So there you have the two differences between the conditions. While both are often characterized by a sad mood, a lack of interest in outside daily activities, and sometimes weight loss, each condition should be treated in a different manner.

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