A surprising amount of people don't know much about seasonal affective disorder, yet many individuals may be suffering from it. TMS Health Solutions wants to educate people and talk about how the right type of therapy may address this issue.

What Exactly Is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Seasonal affective disorder, which is sometimes called SAD, is a condition that becomes apparent as the seasons change. Some people feel its effects during spring while others feel it during the winter or maybe even summer. For the most part, people feel the disorder kick in when the temperatures begin to drop but not always. 

In essence, the disorder is a type of seasonal depression, and TMS Health Solutions is a place where clinical depression Costa Mesa is taken seriously. A person with this ailment may feel things like hopelessness, worthlessness, or baffling guilt. Other people might begin to have problems focusing, while others might develop an inability to make a decision. Of course, others might become agitated or even restless during these periods. 

It should be pointed out that this condition could affect your body in other ways. Some people have trouble sleeping, which could make things harder for a person. A good night's sleep is linked to better memory retention, better energy, and a stronger immune system, just to name a few things. These issues are serious, so dismissing the issue as nothing more than the "winter blues" is not a good idea. 

What do You Need to Know?

One of the biggest questions surrounding SAD is what causes it, and sadly, that cannot be answered satisfactorily. There's much to explore regarding the mind and feelings, which is probably the reason most mood disorders are still a mystery. This does not mean experts don't know anything about SAD, like how there seems to be a link between the disorder and some neurotransmitters. 

The neurotransmitters that seem to be affected by mood disorders are melatonin and serotonin. Both neurotransmitters are important to your mood. Serotonin helps a person feel good and is usually released when something positive happens to you, like if you laugh. The other neurotransmitter is linked to drowsiness, and everyone knows that without a good night's sleep, your mood can be in the dumps the next day. Melatonin is also the neurotransmitter that helps the body regulate energy. Many of the medications used to treat mood disorders address these neurotransmitters one way or another. 

Still, TMS Health Solutions knows that this disorder cannot be attacked with medication alone, which is the reason it is treated with several other forms of treatment, like psychotherapy. A person dealing with SAD also needs to make lifestyle changes that should be personalized to your needs for maximum effect.

Furthermore, there is also TMS therapy, which can help treat SAD, especially when the mood disorder is resisting other treatment methods used. TMS or transcranial magnetic stimulation is a treatment option that TMS Health Solutions in Costa Mesa specializes in. 

It is an outpatient procedure, but the good thing is this specific treatment is noninvasive. What you are going to experience are magnetic pulses directly pointed towards regions of the brain that seem to be the epicenter of a person's ability to control his or her mood. The magnetic pulses are directed towards this region with the help of a metal coil that is strategically placed by a TMS therapy specialist.

TMS therapy can be combined with some other treatments available and may yield more effective results. TMS Health Solutions has been at the forefront of this type of therapy and is ready to help people dealing with SAD. The specialists here understand the severity of mood disorders like SAD or any of the other mood disorders out there and will give them the attention they deserve.