Summer-Pattern SAD / Reverse SAD

Nerdyssey November 21, 2025

🧠 Overview — What is Summer-Pattern SAD / Reverse SAD?

Summer-Pattern Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or Reverse SAD, is a specific form of mood disorder in which depressive symptoms reliably “spike” during summer or periods of hot, oppressive weather. This is the opposite of the more classic image of SAD, which typically worsens in winter. The challenge is that this condition is easily overlooked, because most people believe that “more light = better mood,” even though, biologically, extreme heat and high temperatures are also physical stressors that can disrupt the nervous system and stress-hormone circuits just as much as winter darkness can.

People with Summer-Pattern SAD often report that when the temperature rises, the air feels stuffy, or their country enters the summer season, they begin to feel more depressed, restless, easily irritated, insomniac, and increasingly unable to function in daily life—as if their body “cannot tolerate summer,” both physically and emotionally. Some people say the symptoms come in a “patterned” way, as if pre-programmed: every time summer arrives, their mood crashes, and then improves on its own once the weather cools down.

At the diagnostic level, Summer-Pattern SAD is not a standalone disorder, but a specifier within Major Depressive Disorder or Bipolar Disorder—meaning the core illness is still depression or bipolar disorder, but with a “seasonal pattern” where depressive episodes are triggered in the summer rather than the winter. Having this seasonal pattern suggests that the circadian rhythm system, the body’s thermoregulation system, and stress-response hormones may be more sensitive to environmental change than in the general population.

Prominent features of Reverse SAD often include insomnia, loss of appetite, weight loss, low energy with inner restlessness, and irritability rather than classic low, slowed-down sadness. This differs from Winter SAD, which tends to involve excessive sleepiness, wanting to skip work, craving carbs and sweets, and feeling sluggish. This is why Summer-Pattern SAD is often misunderstood as “heat-stress disorder” or “just someone who can’t stand the sun,” when in fact it is a true mood dysregulation condition with its own temporal and biological pattern that requires clinical assessment.

Another issue is that Summer SAD often hides in tropical countries—such as those in Southeast Asia—where it is hot all year round, and the seasons are not clearly demarcated by the calendar. The symptoms are often dismissed as the result of “heat waves,” “bad air quality,” or “not being able to sleep because it’s too hot,” even though the pattern repeats itself year after year. If the person also has a personality that is highly sensitive to sensory overload (e.g., bright light, loud noise, heat-related smells, PM pollution), depressive symptoms become even more likely to flare in summer.

Biologically, research suggests that high heat forces the thermoregulation system to work harder than usual, leading to an increased “allostatic load”—the cumulative burden of chronic stress—which in turn disrupts both cortisol and serotonin circuits. In addition, longer morning daylight can shift melatonin release to the wrong time, increasing the risk of insomnia and mood instability via seasonal mismatch, which then has a clear impact on overall mood.

In comparison with Winter SAD:

  • Winter SAD = Darkness makes the body feel “slowed down and heavy.”
  • Summer SAD = Heat makes the body feel “tense and agitated.”

Most importantly, this is not a fleeting mood fluctuation, but an emotional pattern with genuine “seasonal rhythmicity.” It must recur for at least 2 years and must be distinguishable from seasonal stressors (e.g., mid-year workload spikes, exam seasons, or peak work seasons) in order to confidently diagnose a true “summer pattern.”

In short:
Summer-Pattern SAD is not just “disliking hot weather,” but a depressive or mood disorder that flares specifically in summer, with consistent biological and behavioral patterns.

🔍 Core Symptoms — Key Features Commonly Seen

When we talk about Summer-Pattern SAD / Reverse SAD, we are not just talking about “not liking summer.” We’re talking about depressive episodes with a fairly distinct symptom set that is clearly tied to summer/heat in a patterned way. If we break down the main symptoms, they look like this:

1) Clear, persistent depressed mood

Most people describe it as their heart or mind feeling “dim” or “muted” all the time, even when, on the surface, everything in life seems fine and there is no obvious dramatic event.

This feeling often presents as:

  • Sadness, dejection, emotional emptiness
  • Or an inner pressure that is hard to put into words

There is also a sense of low self-worth / worthlessness / disappointment in oneself, such as:

  • Thinking, “I’m worse than other people.”
  • Thinking, “How could I possibly enjoy summer like everyone else? I crash every year.”

Some people describe it in very visual terms:

  • “I feel like I’m being squeezed by the light.”
  • Or, “It’s like being baked in an oven.”

These reflect the fact that the brain is perceiving heat and bright light as stressors, both physically and emotionally.

2) Irritability and mood instability

Instead of quiet, subdued sadness like in many textbook descriptions of depression, a lot of Summer SAD cases present with irritability as the leading symptom.

Stimuli that most people can ignore, such as:

  • Traffic noise
  • Kids running around
  • Loud conversations
  • Harsh sunlight

become “unbearable” during summer.

Mood can swing throughout the day. For example:

  • In the morning, the person may feel “okay,” but once they go out, get hit by the sun and traffic, their mood crashes and they become irritable at the same time.

Patients often use metaphors like:

“It’s like being baked in an oven and my mind is boiling at the same time.”

This is different from classic depressive patterns that emphasize low, slow, heavy moods; Summer SAD tends to show a more “stressed–tense–irritable” profile.

3) Insomnia-type sleep problems (difficulty falling and staying asleep)

For Summer SAD, sleep is a major vulnerability point.

Commonly seen:

  • Difficulty falling asleep: The brain won’t shut down even when the body is exhausted.
  • Frequent awakenings: Waking up sweating, feeling hot, suffocated, or uncomfortable.
  • Early awakening: Waking up earlier than usual due to morning light or stuffy air.

The result is that even if total hours in bed look “adequate,” sleep quality is very poor. They wake up feeling as if they hadn’t really slept.

A very clear real-life mechanism is:

Heat + strong morning light = broken sleep cycle

Once sleep is disrupted → mood deteriorates further → a vicious cycle forms.

4) Loss of appetite and weight loss

Unlike Winter SAD, which is often associated with craving sweets and carbs, and gaining weight, Summer-Pattern SAD more often presents as a marked loss of appetite:

  • Food “doesn’t go down,” or they have to force themselves to eat.
  • Just thinking about hot food or walking to a restaurant in the sun feels exhausting.

The sensation of “discomfort or nausea in the heat” leads many to eat very little or skip meals entirely.

Over the course of the summer:

  • Weight steadily drops.
  • The body becomes energy-depleted → fatigue and low mood worsen further.

5) Low energy, but in a “restless” form

This is one of the most interesting features: a strange combination of:

  • Feeling worn out, easily fatigued, and lacking the energy to do anything, and yet
  • Being unable to sit still.

Common behaviors:

  • Pacing back and forth in the room
  • Sitting at work but constantly fidgeting, shaking legs, or compulsively scrolling the phone without purpose
  • Feeling like “the body is stressed” even without doing much

This can be called agitated depression—depressive symptoms with an overlay of psychomotor agitation.

This contrasts with Winter SAD, which typically looks like:

  • Wanting to sleep a lot
  • Wanting to hide under blankets
  • Slow movements, heavy body

6) Reduced concentration and poor work performance

The brain tends to enter an overload state easily:

Hot weather + strong light + lots of noise = processing overload

Patients often report:

  • Zoning out frequently while sitting at a computer
  • Being unable to finish long texts
  • Struggling with tasks that require sustained, continuous mental effort (e.g., writing reports, coding, writing articles)

This is not simply “laziness,” but a brain that is being overloaded by multiple simultaneous inputs and therefore cannot focus properly.

Result:

  • Work performance drops.
  • Feelings of guilt and inadequacy rise.
  • Depressive symptoms persist and intensify.

7) Negative thoughts about self and the future

In the context of Summer SAD, negative thoughts often revolve around recurring themes, such as:

  • “Every summer, I fall apart.”
  • “Other people enjoy summer, go on trips, have fun, but I feel trapped inside my own body.”

Feelings of envy, inferiority, and alienation from others occur easily, because society often sells a narrative that “summer is a season of joy.”

In more severe cases:

  • Thoughts like “I don’t want to live anymore,” or “If I didn’t have to endure summer every year, things would be better,” may appear.
  • Self-harm thoughts may begin to surface.

This is a red flag that should be taken very seriously, not as a mere passing mood.

8) A clearly seasonal pattern

The most critical feature that allows us to say “this is Summer-Pattern SAD, not just general depression” is:

  • Symptoms consistently worsen during months with intense heat and strong sunlight, and
  • Gradually ease as the season changes (e.g., moving into the rainy or cooler season, or whenever temperatures drop).

We must look at the pattern over at least 2 years:

  • Year 1: The person notices their mood worsens as summer arrives.
  • Years 2–3: The same pattern recurs → it becomes clear that this is not random.

In countries without clearly defined four seasons (e.g., hot all year):

  • The pattern often links with “peak heat periods” or “bad-weather/hot-humid-polluted periods” instead.

This is a “temporal signature” that helps differentiate Summer SAD from non-seasonal depression.

📋 Diagnostic Criteria — According to DSM-5-TR Seasonal Pattern Framework

According to DSM-5-TR, there is no separate diagnosis named “Summer-Pattern SAD.” Instead, a specifier “with seasonal pattern” is added to a primary mood disorder. In this case, the relevant season is summer / periods of high heat. To call something a “seasonal pattern (summer type)”, the following logic must be met:

1) Major Depressive Episodes or Bipolar depressive episodes clearly linked to a specific season

There must be at least:

  • Full major depressive episodes, or
  • Depressive episodes within the bipolar framework

that:

  • Start repeatedly in the same season almost every year—in this case, summer or periods of peak heat and light.

Examples:

  • Every year from May–August (the hottest months), the person begins to have insomnia, feel depressed, irritable, and struggle at work.
  • When that period passes and the rainy/cooler season comes, symptoms gradually improve.

The key is “repeatedly in the same season,” not just “this year happened to be stressful in summer.”

2) The pattern must persist for at least 2 consecutive years

DSM-5-TR explicitly states:

  • At least 2 consecutive years, and
  • Each year must show a clearly season-linked episode.

Meanwhile:

  • There should not be frequent depressive episodes of similar severity “outside the season.”
  • If equally severe episodes occur frequently in other seasons, it may not be a true seasonal pattern, but recurrent MDD or Bipolar Disorder driven by other stressors.

3) Seasonal episodes must be “clearly more severe or dominant” than non-seasonal episodes

This means:

  • Even if the person has had depressive episodes in other seasons, if summer episodes are consistently more severe, more distinct, or more functionally impairing, they can still count toward the seasonal pattern criteria.

This distinction is used to:

  • Separate “ordinary unstable depression” from “depression with a seasonal pattern as a leading feature.”

Clinically, patients may say:

  • “Summer is the worst time of the year for me.”
  • “I might feel down at other times, but I can still get by. Summer is when I really crash.”

4) It must be carefully evaluated to ensure it’s not purely life-context driven

This is a major pitfall in diagnosing seasonal patterns:

For some people, summer equals:

  • Exam period
  • Major project deadlines
  • Tourist peak season (for those in service/hospitality)
  • Or a time when they carry heavy responsibilities every year

If depression worsens every summer because of heavy workload + stress, rather than because of season/heat/light itself, this may be better conceptualized as “seasonal stressor,” not “seasonal affective disorder.”

DSM therefore emphasizes:

  • The primary trigger must be the season (light/temperature/time of year),
  • Not merely life events that happen to occur in that season.

5) Can occur under the following primary diagnoses

Seasonal pattern is a specifier added to a primary mood disorder, not a standalone label:

  • Major Depressive Disorder, recurrent, with seasonal pattern (summer type)
    • Appropriate for cases with recurrent depressive episodes tied to summer, without mania/hypomania.

Differentiating MDD vs Bipolar is crucial because:

  • Treatment plans differ.
  • Using antidepressants alone in Bipolar Disorder without a mood stabilizer → can increase the risk of switching into mania/hypomania.

6) Diagnosis cannot be made based on articles or self-checking online alone

Even if the pattern sounds very much like one’s own experience, DSM-5-TR is a manual for clinicians. Proper diagnosis requires:

  • Assessing all 9 symptom criteria for a major depressive episode
  • Reviewing the person’s lifetime history
  • Evaluating whether there have been any manic or hypomanic episodes
  • Considering physical illnesses, medications, substances, and other contributing factors

For the general public, knowing the criteria is useful for:

  • Understanding oneself
  • Identifying life patterns
  • Preparing clearer information to discuss with a clinician

But “concluding that one definitely has the disorder” should come from professional assessment, not self-diagnosis.

🧩 Subtypes or Specifiers — Common Clinical Patterns

Although official diagnostic manuals do not formally subdivide Summer SAD into specific subtypes, in clinical practice and academic discussion, several typical patterns are often described:

Pure Summer-Depressive Type

  • Only depressive episodes occur in summer or peak heat periods.
  • Mood in other seasons is near normal.
  • Signature: insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability, weight loss.

Summer-Triggered Bipolar Depressive Type

  • Falls under Bipolar Disorder.
  • Summer = mood drops, depressive episodes.
  • Other seasons (especially late in the year / cooler months) = may feature hypomania/mania or relatively good mood.
  • Very important clinically because treatment differs from pure MDD.

Summer-Anxious / Irritable Type

  • Depressed mood is less prominent than “anxiety + irritability.”
  • Feels like the body is in fight-or-flight mode all the time when exposed to heat.
  • Often accompanied by panic-like or somatic anxiety symptoms (e.g., rapid heartbeat, chest tightness, shortness of breath).

Sleep-Disruption Dominant Type

  • Clear signature: insomnia and sleep deprivation are the initial triggers for everything.
  • Summer → less sleep → mood worsens → negative thinking intensifies.
  • Managing sleep hygiene and bedroom temperature can be highly beneficial.

Heat-Sensitivity / Climate-Triggered Type

  • Symptoms worsen as soon as temperature rises or sunlight becomes very intense.
  • Even if it’s not “officially summer,” heat is the main trigger.
  • Common in tropical areas / hot countries with distinct “peak heat” periods.

🧬 Brain & Neurobiology — Neural and Biological Underpinnings

Although research on Summer-Pattern SAD / Reverse SAD is clearly more limited than on Winter SAD, the brain mechanisms believed to be involved have become increasingly clear over the past 10–15 years, particularly those involving circadian rhythm, serotonin–dopamine systems, the HPA axis, and heat-stress physiology.

Below is a structured, in-depth breakdown:

1) Circadian Rhythm Breakdown — “Biological clock disrupted by light + heat + poor sleep timing”

Summer = longer and stronger morning light.
If workplaces/schools start early, sleep time is further squeezed.

What happens:

▸ Melatonin secretion shift
The body secretes melatonin later or in smaller amounts because of excessive light exposure (especially strong blue light reflection in summer).

  • Difficulty falling asleep
  • Shallow, non-restorative sleep
  • Disrupted sleep cycles → mood drops quickly

▸ Circadian Misalignment = Emotional Dysregulation
When the biological clock is out of sync (misaligned):

  • Mood becomes more volatile
  • The prefrontal cortex (which helps regulate emotion) struggles to do its job
  • Concentration declines
  • Stress processing becomes abnormal

It’s like “the brain is in zone A while the body is in zone B” all the time → making it easy to become depressed and irritable.

2) Serotonin & Dopamine Dysregulation — Mood systems destabilized by heat + strong light + sleep loss

▸ Serotonin
Summer (especially in hot climates) has three main disruptors of serotonin balance:

  • Fragmented or poor-quality sleep
  • Stress from heat
  • Excessive light—paradoxically, some individuals are so light-sensitive that serotonin fluctuations become larger than normal

Consequences:

  • Reduced capacity to regulate emotions
  • Increased sensitivity to pressure and stress
  • Persistent emotional instability throughout the day

▸ Dopamine
Heat + sleep restriction + stress → dopamine becomes unstable:

  • Too low → life feels meaningless, no motivation
  • Sharp swings → inner restlessness, feeling like having energy but being unable to use it

This is the signature of Summer SAD:

“Exhausted, yet agitated.”

3) HPA Axis Over-Activation — Stress hormones working as if in constant emergency

The HPA axis (Hypothalamus–Pituitary–Adrenal) governs the body’s stress response.

Extreme heat = a biological threat → the body responds as if in “fight-or-flight” mode.

What happens:

  • Cortisol rises at inappropriate times
  • ACTH (which activates the adrenal glands) surges
  • The brain stays in hyper-arousal = tense, stressed, easily irritated

Emotional outcomes:

  • Depression
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety
  • Feeling like “sleep doesn’t really rest me”

For some individuals, a mere 1–2°C increase in temperature can shift their emotional baseline.
It’s as if the brain receives the signal that “the body is not safe.”

4) Thermoregulation & Autonomic Nervous System — The autonomic system working overtime

When the body has to dissipate more heat than usual:

  • Blood vessels dilate
  • Heart rate increases
  • Sympathetic nervous system activity rises (“action mode”)
  • Parasympathetic activity (rest-and-digest) decreases

This leads to conditions such as:

  • Feeling physically “tense” all day
  • Restlessness
  • Palpitations
  • A strange type of fatigue (fatigue + agitation)

This is why people with Summer SAD often say:

  • “It feels like my head heats up along with the weather.”
  • “My mind won’t stop feeling on edge, even when I’m doing nothing.”

5) Genetic & Sensory Sensitivity — Sensory hyper-responsiveness and genetic predispositions

Some individuals have physiological baselines that are more sensitive to light or heat than others, for example:

  • Slight variations in genes related to melatonin receptors
  • High sensitivity of TRPV1 receptors (heat receptors in the body)
  • Variants in the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) that increase sensitivity to stress

As a result:

  • Temperatures of 30–35°C+ can act as “disease triggers,” not just ordinary heat.
  • The body interprets heat as a threat → emotional circuits become destabilized.

Those with ADHD, anxiety disorders, or other forms of neurodivergence can also be more prone to sensory overload in summer than the general population.

⚠️ Causes & Risk Factors — Multiple Layers of Vulnerability

Summer-Pattern SAD does not arise from a single cause. It is shaped by multiple overlapping layers: biology, psychology, lifestyle, and socio-cultural context.

1) Biological Factors

▸ Family history of mood disorders
If the family has a history of:

  • Depression
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Winter SAD
  • Chronic anxiety disorders

the risk is higher, as their stress-response systems are more reactive to environmental change.

▸ Heat Intolerance — Inborn difficulty tolerating heat
Some people have thermoregulation systems that function less efficiently:

  • Sweat response is delayed
  • Heart rate increases markedly in the sun
  • They feel “short of breath” or suffocated in high heat

These physical reactions can act as immediate triggers for emotional collapse.

▸ Physical illnesses that worsen in summer
For example:

  • Low blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Allergies or skin conditions that flare in heat
  • Heat-triggered migraines

These keep the body in a state of constant physiological stress, increasing the likelihood of depression.

2) Psychological Factors

▸ Negative experiences tied to summer
Examples:

  • Losing a loved one during summer
  • Experiencing a traumatic event in intensely hot months
  • Family breakdown, breakups, or repeated heartbreak around the same time each year

The brain “tags” this season as a high-risk window, automatically dragging mood down.

▸ Certain personality traits are higher risk

Such as:

  • Perfectionists → stress easily, poor sleep routines
  • Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) → light/noise/heat are perceived as threats
  • People who are prone to sensory overload, e.g., on the ADHD/ASD spectrum

Summer becomes a season that naturally amplifies sensory overload.

3) Environmental & Lifestyle Factors

▸ Living in hot cities / hot countries
For example: Thailand, India, Brazil, the Philippines. Because:

  • Temperatures are high for prolonged periods
  • Strong sunlight nearly all year
  • Higher pollution in hot seasons
  • Skin and respiratory systems work harder

▸ Summer = tourism season / traffic jams / crowds

Societal chaos is a hidden stressor:

  • Fully booked places
  • Loud crowds
  • Difficult, tiring commutes
  • High pollution

  • Smells, temperature, noise → all channels overloaded at once

▸ Heavier workload in mid-year

Some companies have peak workload in Q2–Q3.
This overlaps with summer in many countries, contributing to:

  • Depression
  • Burnout
  • Sleep disruption

▸ Social expectations that add pressure

Summer is often tied to:

  • Going to the beach
  • Traveling
  • Having “fun” experiences
  • Wearing more revealing clothing
  • Having an active social life

People who lack the energy or desire to go out can feel “abnormal” or “out of place,” harming their self-worth.

4) Comorbid & Behavioral Factors

▸ Anxiety disorders, OCD, PTSD

These conditions are already highly sensitive to environmental changes; adding heat stress makes them twice as bad.

▸ Use of substances that disrupt sleep

Such as:

  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Stimulant medications or substances
  • Nicotine
  • Misuse of sleeping pills

These worsen summer insomnia, increasing the risk of depressive episodes.

▸ Chronic sleep deprivation

Whether caused by:

  • Heat
  • Mid-year workload
  • Strong morning light

All together, this is a cocktail that can crash the brain very quickly.

💊 Treatment & Management — Care, Treatment, and Self-Management

This is not personal medical advice, but an overview of general approaches. The key message is: if symptoms are significantly interfering with daily life, a person should see a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist.

1. Pharmacological Treatment

▸ Antidepressants

  • SSRIs / SNRIs in cases of MDD with summer pattern
  • In some cases, medication is started “in advance” before summer if the person’s pattern is very clear.

▸ Mood stabilizers / atypical antipsychotics

  • In the context of Bipolar Disorder with seasonal pattern
  • Very important: do not use antidepressant monotherapy for bipolar without a mood stabilizer under medical supervision.

▸ Short-term sleep medications or agents to regulate sleep cycles

  • Used short-term under a doctor’s care if insomnia is severe.

2. Psychotherapy

▸ CBT for Depression / CBT-SAD Adaptation

  • Helps patients become aware of their personal seasonal pattern.
  • Works on negative thoughts associated with “Summer = I will collapse.”

▸ Behavioral activation tailored to the season

  • Designing activities in cool/shaded/indoor environments.
  • Creating structured days during summer so life doesn’t drift under heat and emptiness.

▸ CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia)

  • Often crucial in Reverse SAD with prominent insomnia.
  • Targets both behaviors and thoughts that worsen sleep.

3. Environmental and Lifestyle Management

▸ Temperature and light control

  • Use AC/fans to maintain a tolerable temperature.
  • Use sun-blocking curtains or blackout curtains if early light is disturbing sleep.

▸ Summer sleep hygiene

  • Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.
  • Avoid bright screens before bedtime.
  • Create a calming pre-sleep ritual (e.g., light reading, a slightly warm shower followed by entering a comfortably cool, air-conditioned room).

▸ Nutrition

  • Eat light but nutritionally complete foods—not just sugary drinks/shaved ice.
  • Hydrate adequately; reduce sugary sodas.

▸ Stress-relief activities

  • Walking in malls, relaxing in cool cafés, swimming, doing art, writing, reading.
  • Focus on activities that give a sense of control, not additional stimulation.

4. Strategic Seasonal Planning

If you know that “I crash every summer,” then plan ahead:

  • Avoid taking on major projects during that period if possible.
  • Schedule a lighter workload compared to other seasons.
  • Arrange more frequent follow-ups with your doctor/therapist before entering the high-risk season.

Use mood tracking / season tracking:

  • Record mood + sleep + weather/temperature to confirm your personal pattern.

📝 Notes — Key Points to Keep in Mind

  • Summer-Pattern SAD is not just “disliking hot weather.”
    It’s a pattern that can be clearly tracked, with symptoms reaching a clinical disorder level and significantly impairing life—not just annoyance with sunlight or laziness about going out.

  • In tropical countries, it may be hard to see what counts as a “season,” but in reality, there is still a pattern:
    • Some places have clearly identifiable “hottest periods” / “strongest sun periods,” which effectively act as “summer” and can be the seasonal trigger instead of classic four-season cycles.
  • Summer SAD is often overlooked more than Winter SAD because the public image of SAD is:

“Cold, dark, snow, winter.”

People with Reverse SAD may therefore feel strange or isolated, thinking:

“I’m the only one like this.”

  • Differential diagnosis matters. Summer-Pattern SAD can be confused with:
    • Burnout during tourist seasons
    • Life problems that happen to recur at the same time each year
    • Physical illnesses that flare in summer (e.g., blood pressure issues, heart disease, allergies)

  • If there are thoughts of wanting to die or self-harm → this is an emergency:
    • The person should see a doctor or go to a hospital immediately.
    • Do not wait for the season to change or just “see what happens.”

📚 Reference — Sources Related to Summer-Pattern SAD / Reverse SAD

(Note: For a live website, it is recommended to open the original sources and re-check publication years before publishing.)

1) Standard Psychiatric Manual
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). Washington, DC: APA; 2022.
(Depressive Disorders section and specifier: “With Seasonal Pattern”)

2) Seasonal Affective Disorder Research (General + Reverse Type)

Rosenthal, N. E., et al. (1984). Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Description of the Syndrome and Preliminary Findings with Light Therapy. Archives of General Psychiatry.

Wehr, T. A. (1998). A role for circadian rhythmicity in seasonal depression. Journal of Biological Rhythms.

Young, M. A., et al. (1997). The role of photoperiod in Seasonal Affective Disorder. Psychiatry Research.

Rastad, C., et al. (2005). Seasonal affective disorder and variations in mood in a Swedish population. Journal of Affective Disorders.

3) Research Specifically on Reverse SAD / Summer Pattern

Roecklein, K. A., & Rohan, K. J. (2005). Seasonal affective disorder: An overview of assessment and treatment approaches. Depression and Anxiety.
(Even though it focuses on winter-type, it includes a section on summer onset.)

Magnusson, A. (2000). An overview of epidemiological studies on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.
(Contains demographic information on summer-type.)

Hardin, T. A., & Wehr, T. A. (1996). Seasonal changes in human sleep. Sleep.
(Discusses sleep disruption due to light and temperature in summer.)

Lam, R. W., & Levitan, R. D. (2000). Pathophysiology of seasonal affective disorder. Molecular Psychiatry.
(Discusses serotonin/dopamine and circadian dysregulation in seasonal types, including summer-related aspects.)

4) Heat Stress, Mood & Neurophysiology (Related to Summer SAD)

Obradovich, N., et al. (2017). Nighttime temperature and human sleep loss in a changing climate. Science Advances.

Mullins, J. T., & White, C. (2019). Temperature and mental health: Evidence from the US. American Journal of Epidemiology.

Ma, R., et al. (2021). Heat exposure and the risk of mental health-related emergency visits. Environmental Health Perspectives.

(These works provide crucial evidence that extreme heat affects mood and depressive states, even if they do not directly use the term Reverse SAD.)

5) Light / Melatonin / Circadian Rhythm Studies

Cajochen, C. (2007). Alerting effects of light. Sleep Medicine Reviews.

Borbély, A. A., et al. (2016). The two-process model of sleep regulation revisited. European Journal of Neuroscience.

6) Brain & Hormonal Mechanisms

Pariante, C. M., & Lightman, S. L. (2008). The HPA axis in major depression. Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Duffy, J. F., et al. (2009). Circadian rhythms in humans and their disruption with shiftwork. Sleep Medicine.

If you need a “reference set of 15–25 entries” for a long-form article, I can expand this list according to the format used on your site.

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