Seasonal affective disorder is depression that usually occurs during the late fall and winter and is associated with shorter hours of daylight. | PxHere/Public Domain
Seasonal affective disorder is depression that usually occurs during the late fall and winter and is associated with shorter hours of daylight. | PxHere/Public Domain
• Approximately 10 million Americans experience seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder, each year.
• Chronic sinus problems can also increase the likelihood of experiencing depression.
• Depression caused by chronic sinusitis can be treated by addressing the sinus problems.
Millions of Americans experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during the winter. Dr. John Ditto of Richmond Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers said chronic sinus problems can increase your risk of experiencing depression.
"I've had patients who come in who have been depressed. It's more of a secondary depression, where they have this disorder and it's causing them to feel bad because they can't do anything about it," Ditto told the Williamsburg Sun. "Once we give them a solution and treat them, their mood improves from less depressed to (where) they're feeling better about life."
SAD can include symptoms such as sadness, sluggishness and weight changes, according to Boston University. SAD typically occurs during the winter, when days are shorter and there is less sunlight than other times of the year, and it is more likely to affect women than men. Treatments for SAD can include light therapy or traditional treatments, such as antidepressants.
Studies have found that people with chronic sinusitis could also be more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, Physician's Weekly reported. One study compared a group of 16,224 people who were treated for chronic sinusitis with a group of 32,448 "similar people" who did not have sinus problems. The study found that over the next 11 years, the sinusitis sufferers were more than 50% more likely to develop depression or anxiety.
Houston Advanced Nose and Sinus found that as many as 25% of people with chronic sinusitis also experience depression, along with more familiar sinus infection symptoms like headaches, facial pain, a cough and nasal discharge. Depression caused by chronic sinusitis can be treated by addressing the sinus infection through medication or a surgery like balloon sinuplasty.
If you're experiencing sinus or allergy symptoms, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.
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