As fall approaches, student health officials worry shorter days and dropping temperatures may affect the psychological health of students.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that affects people in the fall or winter when the days start to get shorter, the sunlight diminishes and temperatures begin to drop.

Laura Knowles, staff nurse at the Thielen Student Health Center, said when the days begin to lengthen as spring arrives, usually in April or May, the depression tends to lift.

Dr. Marc Shulman, staff physician for Thielen, said some of the problems that come along with SAD are definitely present on the ISU campus.

“[SAD] is a bigger problem at Iowa State than most people realize,” he said.

“Lots of kids come in complaining of being down come the winter months.”

Despite the obvious causes of SAD, Knowles said, “researchers are studying other causes, including disturbances in the body’s biological clock, circadian rhythms or problems with regulation of brain chemicals such as serotonin.”

There are many symptoms that can be a result of SAD.

Knowles said sadness, irritability, increased appetite, cravings for carbohydrates, weight gain, decreased activity, need for more sleep and daytime drowsiness can all be included as indicators of SAD.

“Typically, a diagnosis is made if a person has the symptoms two years in a row during [October to April],” Knowles said.

“Treatment sometimes includes light therapy, in which you sit at a certain distance from artificial bright light, usually in the mornings. Another form of light therapy often used is called Dawn Simulation. This is where the lights in your bedroom are programmed to come on gradually a few hours before you wake up, to simulate the sunrise.”

If these treatments do not work or do not have a big enough effect, doctors may prescribe antidepressant medications to help regulate and balance certain chemicals in the brain to regulate the person’s mood.

Although it is possible for men to develop SAD, 60 percent to 90 percent of all SAD cases are found in women ages 15 to 55, Knowles said.

If a person knows of a relative who has been diagnosed with SAD, he or she is also more likely to develop symptoms, Knowles said. As age increases, however, the chance of developing SAD decreases.