Anyone Suffer from SAD?

[Dem Agog]

Seasonal Affective Disorder - anyone here have it?

Do you use lightboxes? Medication? If you do, can you tell me more about your experience with both/either?

Thanks!

[callous taoboy]

1. Oh yeah-

Started when I moved to Alaska. I intended to buy a light box (very expensive) and I've heard that they do wonders. You can even get one that simulates the sun rising by slowly getting brighter at a designated time. St. Jon's Wort (herbal mood lifter) did seem to help.

Don't use alcohol or other drugs. They will compound depression.

I opted to move back to the south for the sunshine. This has made a huge difference but, I swear, I still have SAD even though I never had it before I moved to Alaska. Weird.
CT

[Dem Agog]

2. Wow, Alaska...

I can only imagine the issues you must have had there. We went to Anchorage over the summer solstice and while I was wired from all of the excessive sunlight, it also felt very disconcerting, almost a little melancholy, to be out at 11pm and never see the sky dark.

I grew up in Georgia and moved to DC. It was there I realized I had SAD. Now I live in South Carolina, just moved her a short while ago. It's warmer and nicer, but I am still staving off depression. I can't figure out if it's solely because of the election or not, but I do know that's an extreme part of whatever it is.

Thanks for your input.

[callous taoboy]

6. Alaska was a wild ride

that I chose to step away from. It was fun for a while. I missed dark, warm, starry summer nights. And crickets. And frogs.

[CO Liberal]

3. At a Place I Used to Work....

...my boss said that you could tell the folks who sufferred from Seasonal Affective Disorder - they were the ones who made copies with the top up on the Xerox machine.

:-)

[Dem Agog]

4. Hah!

That's pretty funny!

I could see doing that. :D :D :D :evilgrin:

Thanks for the joke. I have 2 other friends who def. have SAD and I'm going to share it with them.

[Nikia]

5. I have for the past couple years

The reason why I have it now, but not the other years is that I used to be active outside for enough time in the afternoon. This year, I might have to get a light or something because it is already coming on and it is only November.
If it is possible, exercise during afternoon daylight. My best year moodwise in the winter was when I road my bicycle to my early second shift job.

[slutticus]

7. Yes.

I go south for the winter.

But seriously, I used to suffer from clinical depression, and it always became much worse in the winter.

The depression is gone now, but I still do find myself a bit more "down" during the winter.

[DrWeird]

8. It really affects people here in the PNW.

The clouds really contribute to the effect. I'm used to it, but people who come here have a horrible time dealing with it. One first year grad student last hear had to quit and move back to the midwest because he couldn't take it any longer.

As Ken Kesey wrote: "Spend a winter there. Spend a winter there."

[Go Eagles]

9. my wife does

My wife had it really bad last year. It often starts late September early October, when the amount of day light drops off. I bought her a light box last year and has made a world of difference.

http://www.lighttherapyproducts.com/products_lamps.html

[Dem Agog]

12. So the light works?

I think that if I sat in front of it late at night I'd get wired. Does she have trouble falling asleep at night after doing that?

[Go Eagles]

10. also

I'll add that in the late summer this year (late September) when sunrise was later, she would get up in the morning and spend a half hour in front of the box and than in the evening when winding down the box is often turned on. There are varying degrees of SAD from mild to debilitating and the type of therapy varies. I purchased this box with the box.
http://www.lighttherapyproducts.com/products_books.html
It helped her to identify the level of SAD she had and what would be an appropriate type of therapy. I also have a neighbor who makes a point to take a vacation south every January or February and this helps him a lot. Good luck.

[Squeech]

11. Me too

I have a light box. I don't think it makes much difference.

But I don't think my current depression is entirely due to SAD, I think there may be some exogenous factors. Like the (s)election.

I agree with the guy that said drugs are not your friend.

I love the idea of getting ad hoc light treatment from the Xerox :-) I have one friend who's working at a public access cable TV studio, and his particular area of responsibility is hanging and adjusting the lights. He says ever since he's had that job, his mood is way better.

[Sabriel]

13. I've got it and moved to Vegas to avoid it

But now that I'm back in WI, it's back in full force. The "election" hasn't helped, either. Ain't no lightbox big enough for THAT.

Seriously, the move to Vegas (all sunlight, all the time) really fixed it. But now I have to find another solution.