http://www.care2.com/greenliving/do-you-get-sad-seasonal-affective-disorder.html
Do You Get SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)?
Q: I get depressed during winter. Could I have SAD and if so, what should I do about it?
A: Although seasonal affective disorder isn’t recognized by psychiatric professionals as an official, distinct disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, seasonally-related changes in your mood could be related to a pre-existing depressive condition that is not being managed.
Typically, seasonal-related depression is diagnosed if:
• You’ve experienced depression and other symptoms for at least two consecutive years, during the same season.
• The periods of depression have been followed by periods without depression.
• There are no other explanations for the changes in your mood or behavior.
If this sounds like you, have a discussion with your primary care provider. Additionally you might try:
• Getting as much natural sunlight as possible–even a brief lunchtime walk can be beneficial. Try to make work and home environments bright and sit near windows.
• Exercising more. Regular exercise combats feelings of depression because your body releases mood boosting endorphins when you exercise.
• Trying not to overload yourself with work because putting yourself under undue pressure can exaggerate feelings of depression.
• Eating plenty of oily fish, which contain omega-3 fatty acids, important for boosting mood. Flax seeds and walnuts are also good sources. Also foods like chicken, turkey, lentils and sunflower seeds contain B vitamins, which keep the nervous system healthy. Research shows that people who follow a diet low in B vitamins suffer from more mood swings and are less happy than others.
• Exposure to bright light via a light box, for up to four hours a day, is effective in up to 85 percent of diagnosed cases of SAD. Ordinary light bulbs aren’t strong enough as they emit an intensity of 200-500 lux–the minimum dose necessary to treat SAD is 2,500 lux. The intensity of a bright summer day can be 100,000 lux! Search online for the best deal on light boxes.
• Antidepressant drugs known as SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors) like paroxetine and fluoxetine would help keep up serotonin levels in the brain. You might find that a combination of SSRIs and light therapy does the trick.
Dr. Brent Ridge is the health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You can call and ask him a question live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 112 (1.866.675.6675). You can also follow along as he learns to grow his own food and raise goats on his farm in upstate New York by visiting www.beekman1802.com.
Got a health question for Dr. Brent? E-mail him at drbrent@care2.com.
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add your comment »I think most people can get depressed in the winter. Lack of sunlight and the cold. Also the fact that the gas and electric have gone up many cannot afford to keep warm and being cold in my view causes depression as we all like to be in a comfortable warmth for the feelgood factor. Spring is majic The sun shines through my windows and the ray of light makes me feel alive. I love to see the blossoms on the trees and the green grass. I like to see people happy not miserable. Kids love the summer to and ive noticed they play outside and they come alive. I think of the summer and spring and that what stops me being depressed the fact that the sun will shine again and the doom will pass, well for another season at least.
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I heard about SAD a couple years ago and knew immediately that that is what explained my winter blues. I find it very interesting to hear about the summer blues that some people get too. I think I may experience that as well, but not as pronounced as in the winter time. Depression is nothing new for me. It tends to run in my family on both sides and it is genetic. I suffered from severe depression while I was in the Navy and had to take Paxil for 3 years. It helped at the time and I haven't had a relapse except for this mild seasonal depression. It was miserable.
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Hi David,
Thanks for explaining what you experience during your summer version of SAD. It enlightened me to be made aware that some folks may suffer from the reverse of winter SAD.
I had to chuckle though in a way because in the summer it gets so hot here that a lot of people do exactly the same things you do to combat your SAD! Their blinds are always closed and the a/c is very cold.........sometimes I won't even go out until the sun sets if I want to go walking or shopping.
Anyhow, I am glad you can do things to relief your suffering and luckily summer isn't as long as winter up your way.
Take care,
Marsha
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Hey, Marsha (et al)
Upon reflection, as miserable as I am during summertime, it's less trouble for me to do my best to cope than it is for those of you that need sunlamps or what have you in the winter. I keep all the blinds closed (actually, that's all year 'round), crank the air conditioner, and don't go out unless I have to, and when I do I wear as little as possible and walk slowly (I don't have a car).
I'm in Seattle, so it's intellectually comforting to know that I'm happy a lot more days than winter SAD sufferers are here, though that doesn't mitigate the emotional pain or keep me from spontaneously bursting into tears. Maybe I was burned to death in a past life or something.
The other thing I do to help me cope is to remember that without summer, I wouldn't be able to enjoy those great tomatoes, peaches, blueberries, melons, etc. Thanks for caring enough to ask!
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Wow David, I realize there are folks who dislike summer and can't tolerate the heat and so this has really taken me by surprise to realize that it could bring such intense suffering to someone. I guess then that Seasonal Affective Disorder doesn't only relate to Winter Blues!
Even though I prefer warm weather, I used to experience a depression in the spring because it was time to take off the coat and I had put on some weight during the winter months!
I guess I prefer Florida because the change of seasons is very subtle and is easier for me to deal with. This is the first place I have ever enjoyed winters and actually look forward to them!
What do you do to combat your summer time seasonal depression and discomfort? I guess it really is different strokes for different folks!
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I would like the record to show that SAD isn't limited to those prone to "winter blues." I know at least one other person besides myself that experiences greatly exaggerated depression in connection with warmth and/or extended periods of brightness; summer is torture to both our bodies and our spirits.
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IMarsha speeks for me as well. I lived in Wisconsin a good share of my life and Winter was a very tough season to get through. The sky is so grey that it's impossible to point where the sun is at noon without knowing the time or your directions. I went for weeks totally depressed and refusing to participate in anything other than bringing home a paycheck.
Most of my friends in the meantime were having a blast with their winter sports and activities. When the sun would pop out the few times that it would, my mood would change and I'd realize that perhaps a couple weeks had gone by since I felt human.
After moving to Florida in 1994, I haven't had any problems except as Marsha says about the angle of the sun which causes glare, such as now.
For other victims of SAD, who cares what shrinks have to say? I wish they could experience it and see how fast they suddenly change their minds. It seems to me that they used to think menstrual cramps was just a state of mind and was only imagined, didn't they?
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During the winter months when most of us don't get enough sun we are most likely deficient in Vitamin D. In fact, vitamin D deficiency is found in most of us all through the year unless we have one of those jobs that takes us outside in the sun every day. That said, you can supplement with vitamin D3 during those bleak winter months. It will raise your spirits and also help with bone density at the same time. Vitamin D is fast becoming one of the most important vitamins for overall well-being as part of a daily regiment.
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I used to live in NY and once I moved to Florida I noticed a dramatic change in my seasonal depression that I always suffered from. I find though that the autumn sun angle still disturbs me negatively but I can deal with it becaue the climate here is warm. This is a real thing. When I lived in NY I made myself take daily walks before work so I was exposed to the daylight before being cooped up at work. I also had a bright, sunny south facing apartment which also helped the depression.
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