Holiday Affective Disorder

How to recognize the signs and get help

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Holiday Affective Disorder: how to recognize the signs

The holidays are upon us, which means more and more parents will suffer from Holiday Affective Disorder. Not to be confused with Seasonal Affective Disorder, Holiday Affective Disorder covers a wide range of manic symptoms including overwhelming feelings of nostalgia, frustration and extreme guilt paired with weight gain, binge eating, high blood pressure, and sleeplessness. Sufferers have delusions of grandeur, believing they have the ability to create meals of prime rib and make place cards out of pine cones while hosting family, friends, random neighbors, stranded co-workers, and pets, while also wearing an infant and taking care of hyperactive children. Oftentimes, people detach from reality, believing they can actually create a perfect holiday. Sound familiar? Here’s how to recognize the signs and get help …