# Fuck the assholes who named Seasonal Affective Disorder "S.A.D." **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 30, 2005, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-assholes-who-named-seasonal-affective-disorder-s-a-d/324135 "2005-09-30T02:04:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-assholes-who-named-seasonal-affective-disorder-s-a-d/324135/21 "2005-10-04T00:10:17Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > Every fall, I start to feel miserable and don’t feel better until the spring. I get depressed, exhausted, antisocial, grumpy, and my life generally turns to garbage. Someone somewhere finally officially recognized this phenomenon a few years ago as something legitimate that happens to many people and named it Seasonal Affective Disorder, or “S.A.D.” check out : [www.sunbox.com](http://www.sunbox.com) They make light boxes that help Seasonal Affective Disorder. Some people find them very helpful. I was at a medical convention one time and “saw the light”, I felt compelled to go and stand in front of it. I talked to the representative for awhile and got the information, and started to walk away and had to go back and stand in front of the light a bit longer. I bought the Sun Box Jr. ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-assholes-who-named-seasonal-affective-disorder-s-a-d/324135/22 "2005-10-04T00:11:26Z")
HaHa, just realized [Sunbox.com](http://Sunbox.com) is one of the google ads at the bottom of the page ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-assholes-who-named-seasonal-affective-disorder-s-a-d/324135/23 "2005-10-04T05:59:28Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > No, depression is not just deep sadness. Depression (or, more properly, Major Depressive Disorder) is a pathological condition in which one of the symptoms is sad mood, but it is not “just” sadness, deep or otherwise. To be diagnosed with MDD, the person has to have sad mood or lack of enjoyment/interest in usual activities for at least two weeks. They must also have 5 of the following: appetite or weight change, insomnia or hypersomnia, fatigue, thoughts of death or suicide, persistent feelings of disproportionate guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness, or low self-esteem, psychomotor agitation or retardation, and difficulty concentrating or making decisions. I don’t see how describing the definition of deep sadness somehow makes it different from deep sadness. Is the word sadness not lofty enough for you or what? I’ve been depressed and I’ve had S.A.D. and I know what it feels like, and it feels like sadness. Erek ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-assholes-who-named-seasonal-affective-disorder-s-a-d/324135/24 "2005-10-04T06:42:54Z")
Yup, my SAD manifests only as ridiculous exhaustion and sleeping incredible amounts. It rarely effect my mood. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-assholes-who-named-seasonal-affective-disorder-s-a-d/324135/25 "2005-10-04T23:50:04Z")
Sexual aversion disorder is also S.A.D. ☹ d&r [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-assholes-who-named-seasonal-affective-disorder-s-a-d/324135.md?page=1)