A rare form of seasonal affective disorder is known as reverse seasonal affective disorder. Instead of depression setting in during the fall this one effects people starting spring and lasts through the summer.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is commonly associated with the winter months when the days are longer and the dark is around a lot more. There is a disorder that is very similar but not in the winter months. This is known as reverse seasonal affective disorder, and is a lot less common then the other winter seasonal affective disorder.

Reverse seasonal affective disorder is not common at all. It is essentially the onset of depression symptoms during the summer months. Where as the other one is onset during winter and starts in the fall, reverse seasonal affective disorder starts in the spring and lasts until the end of summer. Like all depressions it is unsure why this depression starts with the onset of the warmer lighter months. It can be believed that it is due to the fact that there is almost too much light but with little to no research being done on this disorder it is hard to tell what exactly causes it.

The signs of reverse seasonal disorder are similar to depression. The feeling of loneliness, hopelessness are common. The loss of interests or hobbies that the person normally enjoyed, along with loss of appetite, feels of irritability, insomnia, and restlessness are all common factors of depression. If the person normally seems healthy both mentally and physically during the winter months and only shows signs of depression or mood changes in the summer this may be the cause. However less than one percent of the US population is diagnosed with this disorder.

The treatments for reverse seasonal disorder can be antidepressants, since drugs take a few weeks to actually work successfully it must be known that the person suffers from this in order to start the treatment in the winter so it is affective by spring. However, if a drug therapy is not wanted there are other options. Some sufferers have found relief by staying in a cool air conditioned room the whole day, as this cools the body and does not cause the reaction to the heat or over exposure to light that is believed to be a factor in reverse seasonal disorder.