Savant Syndrome
Savant syndrome is a rare condition where someone with a developmental disorder such as autism has an immense wealth of talent in a specific field. Many savant skills are related to incredible memory-based abilities, like being able to replicate a piece of music on an instrument after hearing it once, being able to remember license plates after seeing them in passing, or having the capacity to draw detailed city skylines from memory. Only around ten percent of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are reported to have some kind of savant skills, with the rate being 1 in 100 for individuals with other intellectual/developmental disorders.
Some famous examples of people with savant syndrome include: Ellen Boudreuax, a visually impaired woman with the ability to replicate any musical piece she’s ever heard and to tell time down to the second without a clock, and Kim Peek, a man known as a “megasavant” with the ability to calculate with both hemispheres of his brain simultaneously, giving him the ability to read and memorize two books at the same time.
Schizoaffective Disorder
Schizoaffective disorder is a mental health condition that contains the symptoms of both schizophrenia and a mood disorder. Schizophrenia affects how the world is perceived, while mood disorders affect feelings and behaviors. As a combination of the two types of disorders, schizoaffective disorder has both the characteristic hallucinations and delusions of schizophrenia and the depressive feelings and low energy of some mood disorders. In some cases, people with schizoaffective disorder may also experience mania, or periods of high energy, euphoria, and increased irritability along with depressive episodes, resulting in a disorder reminiscent of bipolar disorder.
Schizoaffective disorder is very rare, with only around 0.3% of adults being diagnosed with it within their lifetimes. This could be due to how difficult the disorder is to diagnose, as many who could potentially have the disorder may receive a diagnosis for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia instead. Some potential causes of schizoaffective disorder include genetics and chemical changes in the brain. The use of psychedelics or hallucinogens may also induce schizoaffective disorder in those genetically predisposed to it.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that changes how a person perceives reality and interacts with others. It is characterized by hallucinations (false experiences), delusions (false beliefs), and paranoia (the feeling that others are conspiring against you). People with schizophrenia may have disorganized speaking patterns or exhibit little to no emotion when interacting with others.
The exact causes of schizophrenia aren’t known, but researchers believe that it develops partly because of chemical imbalances in the brain and genetic predisposition (if someone else in your family has schizophrenia). There are also environmental risk factors for schizophrenia, like poor nutrition or pre-birth exposure to illness. Treatment for schizophrenia includes talk therapy, anti-psychotic medication, and support groups.
Seasonal Depressive Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as seasonal depression, is a mood disorder caused by the changing of seasons from summer to autumn. It has similar symptoms to major depressive disorder, with milder symptoms occurring at the start of fall that get worse during the winter. There is a much rarer form of seasonal depression called “summer depression” that takes place when the days get warmer and longer. This does not change the expression of symptoms at all; just the time period in which they begin and end.
Many people report feeling a mild form of seasonal affective disorder known as “winter blues”. The winter blues are relatively common, with around 10-20% of the U.S. population getting them every year. In contrast, only around 5% of people in the U.S. are diagnosed with seasonal depression. The winter blues are not an official diagnosis, so a lot of statistics regarding the condition are based on personal accounts. However, it is reasonable to assume the change in weather, decreased sunlight exposure, and shorter days would lead to low mood and energy for a sizable chunk of the population.