Talk About ~ 14 Nov '11

Anybody affected by winter coming on? SAD can have serious effects on someone's life especially if they are unaware of it's existence. Below is a short description of SAD from the (NIMH)National Institute of Mental Health and the (NIH)National Institute of Health, along with the website address.

Have you ever been affected by long, dark winters or know someone who has? How does it affect you and what are you able to do about it? Does it affect your pain in any way? Hopefully a discussion about this disorder will help those who are troubled by it to find some help.

As for me, I haven't had problems with is, in fact I love winter and the long nights but my mother had a hard time with late fall and winter and it didn't seem to lift until early spring. She knew it was a problem but never did take any action to get a diagnosis or to treat it with light. Actually her solution after she and Dad retired was to travel starting after Christmas (some years before the holidays) and return home (Western Washington state, USA) come spring. They traveled mostly in the southern USA where she naturally got more light. So in some way she did treat the problem. What a fun treatment! The problem was that after Dad was gone winters were very hard. From what I've seen it's something that should be talked about with your doctor and possibly get some treatment. Life doesn't have to be miserable if you have SAD.

Chutz


Some people experience a serious mood change during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. This condition is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. SAD is a type of depression. It usually lifts during spring and summer.

Not everyone with SAD has the same symptoms. They include

Sad, anxious or "empty" feelings
Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
Irritability, restlessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
Fatigue and decreased energy
Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions
Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
Changes in weight
Thoughts of death or suicide

SAD may be effectively treated with light therapy. But nearly half of people with SAD do not respond to light therapy alone. Antidepressant medicines and talk therapy can reduce SAD symptoms, either alone or combined with light therapy.

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seasonalaffectivedisorder.html

I have not been diagnosed with SAD, but my guess is I do have it. Last year, I bought a "Happy Lamp" sold at Costco for $50...they are so good about returns, I figured I'd try it out and if it didn't work, back it would go. Well, I think it is working! Can I prove it? No, but I think I do feel better. I have actually used it all year long, especially on rainy days in spring and summer. Seems like if I go more than a day without sun, I do get depressed. I have it on my desk, so when I come here to be on the 'puter, I turn it on, keep tabs on the time, suppose to use it from 30 to 60 mins. Other than that, I am very affected by the fall, change of seasons. I do have fibromyalgia and going into fall really causes some major flares which in turn seem to trigger depression.
Miriam

Hi everyone !Chutz,thanks for bringing up SAD,I think Iwill be getting a happylamp this year!Its very cold here in canada and my recovery from surgery,has been very hard ,the pain level is down ,only chest pain and neck/shoulder but it gets better everyday.I also am getting off the oxycontin ,only 2pills aday !I see the dr.tomorrow.Yet Iam feeling so out of energy and lazy,also have such a coldchill thurout my body?Ihave not even wanted to go on computer or outside my house!I was so gunhoe to start doing all things after surgery ,yet I might have pushed myself abit too much before Iwas ready.Seems I'm in a slump now and slowly must build up my energy.I hope the happy lamp works for me.Ireally don't want to take antidepressents.I'm trying to ween off all meds ,this week I'm going down to 1 oxycontin aday,if possible! Take care

What a great topic to bring up....I have never been dx with sad, however I do find fall and winters very hard on my pain levels, it seems the colder it gets the more I ache. I suffer from mild depression and do find that I have to up my vitamin d dose and this seems to help. My husband and I try to head south for 3or 4 wks. and plan to go south up to 4 or 5 mths once we retire, I find I o much better with warmth and sunshine.



50yr.old female
fibromyalgia,chronic pain and mild depression

Interesting subject.... and one that I've thoughts lots on...

I have the "opposite" of traditional fall/winter SAD. After a few years of seeing the trend - I talked to my doctor about it a couple of years ago.... thinking he would seriously think I'd lost it - because I would find myself so much better (depression wise) in the fall/winter - and then as the sun appeared in the spring to summer - I'd have increased anxiety... my insomnia was worse... and so forth.

Anyway, there really is a thing called "summer-onset" SAD (hey, what do you know? I haven't completely lost it). From the reading I've done - it's most common in women in their child bearing years.... Also -where as traditional fall/winter SAD can be triggered by a lack of sunlight... summer onset SAD can be triggered by increased temperatures...

Just food for thought. :)

--Tina