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Comorbidity of Seasonal Affective Disorder & OCD

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) impact millions of people around the world. Approximately 500,000 Americans suffer from SAD and, according to the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, an estimated 1 in 50 people in the United States have OCD. Both classified as mood disorders, there is significant room for overlap when diagnosing these significant medical conditions. Important factors to consider are the occurrence and severity of related symptoms as they impact a person's typical ability to function throughout the day.

  1. OCD Definition and Symptoms

    • OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable and unwanted thoughts coupled with ritualistic compulsions, or repeated acts. A common example of this disorder is seen in ritual hand-washing. The obsessive thought behind the repetitive hand-washing may be "I am dirty" or "All those germs will kill me." This subcategory is referred to as washers. Other types of obsessive-compulsive subcategories include checkers (the need to check repeatedly that a light is turned off), counters and arrangers (everything must be in a certain quantity or be in its right place), doubters (people who seek perfection through something like handwriting) and hoarders (people who cannot throw things away).

      Each category of obsessive-compulsive behavior has a ritualistic act to combat the uncontrolled thinking. A similar theme in all of them is a sense of danger or a threat of harm if the person does not engage in the behavior.

    SAD Defintion and Symptoms

    • SAD is a depressive disorder that involves abnormally depressed mood during the winter months. A common name for it is the "winter blues." SAD symptoms include feeling down, extreme increase in or loss of appetite, and insomnia or hypersomnia. The pattern of depressed mood is observed year after year and significantly impacts a person's ability to function normally throughout her day.

      Reverse seasonal affective disorder takes place in the summer; the diagnosed individual may experience heightened levels of anxiety during this period of time.

    Rate of Comorbidity

    • There is no exact percentage that reflects the number of cases in which OCD and SAD occur together. Research on the topic is still new, although there are correlations between the symptoms of each disorder. Many people also go undiagnosed with SAD because it is often dismissed as not being a serious condition.

      As of 2000, the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-TR)" does not classify SAD as its own disorder, rather a specific type of major depression.

    OCD and Seasonal Affective Disorder

    • Though there is no diagnostic criteria that specifically overlaps between OCD and SAD, the likelihood of OCD triggering depressive symptoms exists. While a person diagnosed with OCD may be able to effectively manage a sad mood during the summer, it is typical for most people to experience a dip in mood during the winter. A person with OCD may experience this lower mood, which, exacerbated by feelings of shame or embarrassment, could trigger SAD.

      Individuals who experience symptoms of both may be misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder, which is a mood disorder characterized by periods of mania (severely elevated or irritable mood) followed by periods of severe depression.

    Light Therapy

    • One form of treatment for both SAD and OCD is light therapy. The individual will spend a specific amount of time under a light or heat lamp to lift depressive symptoms and lower anxiety. A study from the "Bulletin of the Japanese Society for Neurochemistry" published in 2006 found that light therapy was beneficial to patients diagnosed with both OCD and SAD.

      Light therapy is effective for reducing stress and anxiety, which are at the root of OCD. The less stress the individual feels and experiences, the less he will need to perform rituals associated with his obsessive thoughts. For SAD, light therapy is effective because light triggers the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is commonly associated with mood.

    Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

    • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps an individual connect thoughts to actions and can retrain an individual with the ritualistic behaviors seen in OCD. CBT has also been successful in treating individuals with SAD because it helps them elevate their mood by changing the way they think during the times they are experiencing their symptoms.

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