Seasonal Affective Disorder

[The Eva Monkey]

Does anyone else here have Seasonal Affective Disorder? I'm looking at treatment options. I'm very much against meds, so I'm interested in things like light therapy.

[Xard]

I wonder if this is basic condition of nordic people. 10% of our population (compared to 2% overall)

What exactly is the problem in your case? I guess it's severe or...?

If it's severe light therapy might help. AFAIK it shouldn't have much to do with meds.

[Mr. Tines]

I notice that I'm a SAD bear in the late autumn and winter if I don't get plenty of daylight. When I worked in a south facing part of the office with floor to ceiling windows, it was OK, but now I'm in an office opening onto a north facing area, it'll soon be time to get out my SAD hat again.

I also use a sunrise alarm to try and alleviate the worst of getting up on winter mornings in high latitudes.

Between those and omega-3 supplements I manage to keep my act together when my body would otherwise be telling me to hibernate.

[Azathoth]

If you can get your hands on a green lightbox, I'd recommend that. Blue ones are also effective, white ones less so (at least for me). All are, unfortunately, somewhat expensive. Better than feeling like shit for four months a year, though.

[The Eva Monkey]

What exactly is the problem in your case? I guess it's severe or...?

Most importantly, I'm totally useless at work sometimes, to the point where I have to fight with myself to accomplish anything. I also get distracted really easily, moreso than usual. I also do feel like shit, completely hopeless, and trapped. I want to quit my job I feel so awful.

[ZapX]

Talk to BrikHaus.

[Xard]

Woah, that does sound very severe. I guess I'm not much of a help, unfortunately. I'd recommend trying things Mr. Tines suggested at (I know I'm eating omega-3 supplements every winter, at the very least) and it that's too mild

If that "SAD hat" is too mild to help I guess I'd recommend searching for more powerful versions of light therapy

and yeah, Brik should know the best these things

[The Eva Monkey]

Talk to BrikHaus.

Is he a SAD panda too?

[Sailor Star Dust]

Light Box. I was a using Blue Light one for 2-3 years for an hour (or half-hour depending on the time of year) first thing when I woke up, 8AM each morning. While it didn't help me with my mood*, it did shift my circadian rhythm so I could sleep at a more proper time.

When I first moved out to Cali in 2004, I wasn't able to sleep until 2AM. By doing the light box, I was able to shift my circadian rhythm to falling asleep at Midnight which is where I'm still at. It's better than what it was before, so I'm not complaining (it doesn't help I'm forced to go to bed at 10PM when it takes me an hour or more to fall asleep, anyway).

I can't find the company website through Google (weird), but the manufacturer of my blue light box was (Apollo?) Go Lite. I'm pretty sure they have other light colors too, and even (last I was on the site anyway) a quiz you can take to see what your sleep/mental state is like in terms of your circadian rhythm and what times you should do the light box.

I'm in the exact same boat as you in terms of feelings in the Winter (sometimes Fall), Monkey, although what doesn't help my case is because I suffer from Dysthymia with my Double Depression, I tend to feel extremely low-energy/hopeless/helpless throughout the year.

*It's extremely frustrating how the light box didn't help me in terms of mood though. Perhaps it's a sign I really do need to be on medication. And yes, despite some claims of the weather not affecting people's moods (No, not just Eva :P ), I do feel lower energy or depressed (sometimes wanting to completely shut down and not do anything, though I get that way "naturally" with my stress/depression.) when it's cloudy/rainy/snowing compared to a sunny day.

Is he a SAD panda too?

He's the doctor around these parts.

[scarmullet]

Hmm, I had no idea this was a condition. I always get so lethargic during the spring and fall. I just dont give a fuck most of the time. I always figured it was just depression.

[TehDonutKing]

I don't like bright and sunny days. It makes me feel like I should get out more. But I hate being out of the house. Do I have SAD, or am I just weird?

[Xard]

I don't like bright and sunny days. It makes me feel like I should get out more. But I hate being out of the house. Do I have SAD, or am I just weird?

you're just a hikky

and that's bad!

[TriLink]

I'm very much against meds

Which is probably a good thing. If you can get through whatever is bugging you without resorting to medication, then do so. Take it from someone who's put a lot of crap into his body - they're more trouble then their worth.

Might I recommend a recreational sport of some kind? Whenever I get bummed because of the crappy weather, I've found that going for a swim at the local (indoor) pool, or going for a good run tends to perk me right up. It get's the blood flowing, and you'll be letting your brain experience things that you'd normally only get when the weather isn't complete shit.

[Baz]

My sister has suffered from SAD for pretty much her whole life. She swears by UV lamps (one hour per day), though I know that UV lamps aren't supposed to be better than other bright lights for treating SAD.

I just suffer from mild winter blues. I take fish oils, vitamin D supplements, and force myself to keep to a regular sleep cycle. No caffeine in the afternoon or evening. Light exercise after dinner.

[drinian]

Yeah, I doubt that meds, at least SSRIs, would be the right solution given the ramp-up and ramp-down periods.

I find it much easier to go to sleep when I have been ramping down artificial light throughout the evening. This means that the room lamp goes from full at 8 PM, to half at 9:30 PM or so, and then a dim night-light at 11 to lights out.

But, MOST IMPORTANTLY, if I'm on the computer in the evening, I reduce the brightness level slowly to minimum as well. Looking at a bright computer screen or TV will confuse your body into thinking that it's day.

Also with Tines on the sunrise alarm clock, if you can't set your alarm to the same time that sunlight starts coming into your room.

Regardless, I think you'll have to accept that humans follow different rhythms in winter, and plan accordingly.

[LeoXiao]

It's an issue of willpower, like most things. Overcome it through force of mind and you will be a badass.

[Sharaz Destler]

The dark and gloomy fall/winter months, I find, are good for my physical and mental state.

Then again, I've always been one of those black-knight types.

[NemZ]

I tend to be far more miserable in the Summer, with the heat and humidity and mosquitos oh my!, coupled with the need for all social events have to be held out in bloody nature all the time.

If the rest of you folks are SAD pandas I'm a nocturnal domesticated polar bear.

[scarmullet]

I think I'll invest in some UV light bulbs or something. Something that'll get me going.

[oOoOoOo]

This is general advice for anyone with any kind of mental adventure.

I don't know if this would help SAD at all, but keeping a mood journal did wonders for me.

It helped me notice trends. I tracked when I went to sleep, when I woke up, how much sleep I had, if I'd taken any drugs, when I'd last drunk coffee, when I'd last had something to eat. And of course, I tracked how I felt. Did I feel better at the beginning of the day? Midday? End of day?

Through this process I now know what's my optimal wakeup time, etc. Since a lot of conditions overlap and are often hard to diagnosis, this kind of exercise can be quite illuminating. And if you're aroused by charts and numbers and graphs... mood journals are great for that.