[nwsflash]

Hi all, :)

I have been getting the feeling that I'm starting to feel that I have got Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D:confused: )! Is there anybody else on this site that suffers from this or has family, friends or so on that could give me some in light into this so I feel like I'm not going off my rocker??

It could just be the winter blue's but would like any info or help that could be given.
Thanks -->NwsFlasH<--

[lilfyre]

Hang on it will get better; each day we are gaining a minute of light in the morning and a minute at night. So keep this in mind. My husband of 17 years, (I love him so much it makes me crazy at times) is a recovering alcoholic, on top of this he suffers from depression. The winter is always the worst for him. His counselor in therapy called it the Winter Blues it is the same thing as Seasonal. Affective Disorder his symptoms included, withdrawing socially, lack of concentration, plain crankiness, craving sweets and carbs, lack of sex drive, and restlessness. It was very hard to understand what was going on. Before he stopped drinking he was horrible in the winter and then as summer came around he was more bearable to be around. I am one of those people that journal my life, and I could go back and tell you when he drank how much and most of the time why he thought he wanted to drink. Once he sought treatment for his addiction we realized that he was getting bumming again, so last year to keep his sobriety in tact he sought out a therapist. She came up with the winter blues. He has changed his habits in the winter, he gets out early in the morning and walks, spends as much time out in the daylight as possible. He drives a truck for a living but he still gets out for a few minutes at a time and blows the stink off him. He goes tanning once a week, makes sure he takes a good multi vitamin, exercise and get outside when ever possible.

[nwsflash]

withdrawing socially, lack of concentration, plain crankiness, craving sweets and carbs, restlessness. It was very hard to understand what was going on.

Thanks lilfyre Im going to try some of the things that you have posted above :) I'm getting the feeling now that I'm not alone and going off my rocker.:eek:

[augustknight]

I do not have this particular form of depression. But I have been in treatment for 14 years with bipolar depression. What differentiates SAD from other forms of depression is it's propensity to only be active during the shorter daylight hours in fall and winter. Another 'marker' is an increase in appetite and weight gain. It is a fairly difficult diagnosis to make because it mimics other forms of depression.
If you felt this way last year or in the past and your 'blues' lifted with the advent of spring you may very well be correct in your suspicions. I have heard that a certain artificial light can induce a more normal rhythm to your body and 'fool' the brain into thinking that it is spring. However that means sitting in front of a viewbox for several hours a day. A mild anti-depressant can often alleviate feelings of depression which can include irritability, a loss of interest in the things you normally enjoy, anger, worthlessness and the aforementioned 'going off one's rocker'.
It is important to remember that depression is not a personal failing but rather a chemical imbalance in the body. It is treatable and sufferers should not feel any more 'inadequate' than a diabetic, itself a chemical imbalance.
A person can be easily fooled into not seeking help because of the huge variances in the symptoms of depression. A few good days leads a lot of folks to believe the problem has self corrected. This is rarely the case in true depression. It is merely the 'ocean' in your body mimicking high and low tides.
It is best to err on the side of caution and see a doctor that understands this disease and sets up a treatment that is best for you. Good luck!

[lilfyre]

Oh god you are not alone, by no means at all, I have a bunch of them bookmarked I'll go and pick out the better one and post them, there are so many things you can do, some people that my husband goes to group with bought light bulb, they are some type of spectrum light, (he not home right now or I would ask him, I know he knows what they are) I will go now and look them up, or I can email then to you, what ever is best for you. (O:

[lilfyre]

I do not have this particular form of depression. But I have been in treatment for 14 years with bipolar depression. What differentiates SAD from other forms of depression is it's propensity to only be active during the shorter daylight hours in fall and winter. Another 'marker' is an increase in appetite and weight gain. It is a fairly difficult diagnosis to make because it mimics other forms of depression.
If you felt this way last year or in the past and your 'blues' lifted with the advent of spring you may very well be correct in your suspicions. I have heard that a certain artificial light can induce a more normal rhythm to your body and 'fool' the brain into thinking that it is spring. However that means sitting in front of a viewbox for several hours a day. A mild anti-depressant can often alleviate feelings of depression which can include irritability, a loss of interest in the things you normally enjoy, anger, worthlessness and the aforementioned 'going off one's rocker'.
It is important to remember that depression is not a personal failing but rather a chemical imbalance in the body. It is treatable and sufferers should not feel any more 'inadequate' than a diabetic, itself a chemical imbalance.
A person can be easily fooled into not seeking help because of the huge variances in the symtoms of depression. A few good days leads a lot of folks to believe the problem has self corrected. This is rarely the case in true depression. It is merely the 'ocean' in your body mimicking high and low tides.
It is best to err on the side of caution and see a doctor that understands this disease and sets up a treatment that is best for you. Good luck!

O god well put, I am out of rates for the day,:mad: now I feel that I have wasted them.:( This is good answer, real good answer:D

[lilfyre]

I have listed a bunch below, they are listed in no particular order, they are just there, I hope that one of them can help you out a bit. It gets better, I can tell you this, for next years a heads up, the fall equinox September 22 2006 at this point it will get darker every day until the winter solstice which is December 21 2006 when we begin to gain light again, heads up for you.



http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/s...edisorder.html

http://www.mentalhealth.com/book/p40-sad.html

http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw169553

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sea...S00195/si=2765

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasona...ctive_disorder

http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/27.cfm

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/79/96217.htm

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/11/1674_50273.htm

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/10078/58558

http://www.johndmoore.net/winterblues.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in596786.shtml

[nwsflash]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to lilfyre again.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to augustknight again.

Thank you so much for your kind words and info! :) Its good to know that we are not alone in times like this... augustknight you hit the nail on the head with a lot of the things you said in your post, and so did you lilfyre, its hard to make other people understand that you can not got out because of S.A.D :mad: as they don't understand.

[nonpocillovist]

I just invested in a light therapy box. I have been using it for about a month (a half hour each morning) and have noticed a huge improvement in my overall well-being. I'm lucky to live in Seattle where there is a store that carries many types of units, and they will let you return your purchase for a full refund within 2 weeks if it doesn't work for you. Most people who are helped by bright light therapy notice results in about 3 days. Their web address is: http://www.indoorsun.com/ I bought their economy model (about $170).

Some information to consider:

To work, the light must be at least 5,000 lux, and preferably 10,000 lux. You eyes need to be within a certain distance of the light to get full benefit (for my box it is 11 inches, with some of the more expensive boxes you can be 14 inches away). The light must enter your eyes (it is believed to work by some type of neural-chemical reaction), but you do not have to look directly into the light. You can read, but you can't wear sunglasses. The light is bright, but not painfully so.

Although they may make some people feel better, tanning beds are not recommended. The UV light is damaging, and you must wear eye protection or keep you eyes closed, and therefore, the neural-chemical reaction mentioned above cannot happen.

About diagnosis, the thing that differentiates SAD from other forms of depression is that it coincides with the winter loss of light each year. Here in Seattle, not only do the days get very short in the winter, many of the days are very dark and cloudy. Last year I felt terrible starting in November/December, and I thought it was a reaction to some medication I was on. When I started feeling awful at the same time this year, I finally figured it out. In my case, the worst symptom was actually terrible insomnia. Lack of light can also disrupt the sleep cycle, and a using light box can be help to regulate it. (This is actually not exactly the same as SAD, but very related, and in my case they were inseparable.)

I think most people who live in northern climes feel somewhat less energetic in the winter time, and many feel like they have "winter blues" at times. I think it is just a matter of degree. In my case, I was almost very debilitated and
It was a huge relief when the light box improved things. You do have to use it every day (or almost) for about a half hour (It varies some between people). The other thing you can do is to get outside during daylight hours for at least a half hour each day. Even on an overcast day, the light outside is usually as bright as one of these light boxes. Unfortunately many of us cannot get outside every day during daylight hours because of our jobs.

The other thing that you really need to do to feel better is to get regular exercise. I know this is hard to do, especially during the winter, but it is the best natural depression-fighter and aid to sound sleeping that there is. Aerobic exercise works much better than strength-type exercises. You need to get your blood moving, every day, to be in good health! This is the single most important thing you can do for yourself.

One other thing I will mention is dawn simulators. Instead of using your alarm clock, a light on a timer gradually brightens to wake you up. I have not tried one, but I have 2 friends who have used them for years and love them. They are not a prescribed treatment for SAD the way bright light therapy is, but they provide a more gentle way to wake up, and they do have a somewhat anti depressant effect for some people. I think it allows you to wake up more slowly and during a more natural part of your sleep cycle, which can make you feel much more rested. If you have full-blown SAD symptoms, however; I would recommend the bright light therapy. (I am actually thinking of getting a dawn simulator and using it in addition to the bright light therapy.)

I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if I can clarify anything or answer any questions. There are some good books and websites out there too.
~Julie

[bizygurl]

Hey newsflsh, I deal with this same problem every year in the winter. I don't think mine is severe, therefore I attribute to it as "winter blues" but I notice a change in my mood when its yucky or cold out. Winter is a dreary season, you loose daylight much more quick, its cold, you can't do as much as you can in nicer months. And when you live here in the Northern United States, snow storms and semi-blizzards are very common, so you can never really make plans to go anywhere. It stinks. I just try to work through it and I always tell myself its only temporary and in a few months It will get start getting nicer out. My mom on the other hand would get sever depression in the winter, not only would she be dpressed with the dreariness, but she always got sick with pnemonia or broncitis and stay that way ALL winter. It was horrible. The doctor told her that her body "literally" couldn't take the cold months and that she should move to Arizona where the weather was much drier all year round. But saying that and doing isn't always the same. Anyway the doctor put her on medication for her depression and she doesn't get as sick as she use to. She just doesn't leave the house when its severely cold out. And tries to stay as warm as possible. It has made a difference.
So in a nut shell, I really feel for you tremedously. Have you considered talking to your doctor about this?

[nwsflash]

The doctors is something that I have been thinking about, but have not got around to it yet. Im sorry to hear about your mother bizygurl, it must be hard living in such a cold place if it effects her so much. Plus you need to look at the winter blue's because what you posted is a mild form of S.A.D.

I have been really shocked by all the post's just how comman S.A.D seems to be across the globe. I would like to thank all of you that have posted your kind words and idears. I have already been looking into a few idears from some of the posts and im's I've had.

Once again thanks to you all. May God Bless U

[bizygurl]

Thanks nwsflash, She is doing much better. The one thing that I left out in my last post that during this dark time her and my father were going through a really hard time and I believe things that are going on in your personal life could make SAD all that much worse. Now she is re married to a man that she is sooo completely in love with and she isn't as bad as she use to be although she is still on some medication.

Just like clinical depression, SAD is very wide spread. And I dfenitly think everyone feels it at one point in their life.

I remember a few years back in late spring, We had a whole month of straight rain, we never saw the sun for a whol month. It was so depressing.I remember my local news did a statistic that suicide rates went up, more people ended up getting diagnosed for depression in that moth and crimes in general were up, just in my state. Just think that how weather could really alter people's mood like that.
At least you know now your not alone, and everyone here are here to support you.