Does anyone suffer with S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder). If so, how do you deal with the symptoms?

Answer 1

i think i do never talked to a doctor about it but come the winter i get very miserable and cry alot and never want to go out anywhere i just keep the hope that summer will be here soon in my head

Answer 2

OH GOD YES! Every year around February I become suicidal. (figuratively) I live on the East Coast so by February I am begging for sunshine. How do I deal with it? Just do. Wait for the spring, take a trip to Florida, if I can. That usually helps alot and helps to hold me over until spring. There are lights that are sold, I've never tried them. But I feel your pain, and around February I'll be posting a call for help with S.A.D.

Answer 3

I suffer from it.
I moved to Spain and the seasons are longer here, but come the end of the year/late autumn/winter I have to pretend I am happy.
The rest of the year I am quite a happy go lucky person, no moods at all.

At the moment I try to keep myself very busy and I try to think about the nicer things around me, such as the autumn leaves, the crisp air etc etc
I also eat more Vitamin C...and D.
So at this time of the year I take supplements.

Good luck

Answer 4

Where I live I get no direct sunlight for 12 weeks of the year, from the end of Nov until beginning of Feb. I live in a steep valley and the sun comes up behind my hill and shines on the other half of the town. The houses near me are actually cheaper due to this. I live in a council house so I didn't realise before I moved in.
I can actually feel envy and anger to the other people on the opposite hill near me as they get the sun on their houses and I can see it from my house.
I have to make myself go out on the days it is sunny. This doesn't solve it completely but it does help a little bit. I keep thinking about buying one of those lights but the price puts me off.

Answer 5

It’s a recognised disorder and classified in both the DSM and the ICD10. Standard treatments include activity scheduling, light boxes (do not use a sun bed because they increase you chances of developing skin cancer) and low doses of SSRI medication.

SAD is neurobiochemical in origin and at its worst can lead to desperate acts of self harm and, while I have nothing against Yoga, if you consider the condition serious enough and not just a case of “long boring night blues” see your GP before enrolling in the class

Answer 6

My husband suffers with SAD and it took us 4 years to get him to accept he actually has this. He is now on permenant anti depressant medication all year round and we up the dose in September/October when it would normally start to get a grip. I still have to accept that he will get down days but they are nowhere near as severe as before when he would take to his bed for months at a time. He also has Reiki healing which helps. Some people swear by light boxes but we havent tried one yet.

Answer 7

Yes. I count the days until Daylight Savings Time begins on the first weekend in April.

Answer 8

Apparently, lighting has a great deal to do with this disorder. Light boxes are available on the NHS.

Answer 9

I also get depressed when there is less light. My psychiatrist recommends full-spectrum light bulbs next to the bed (no lampshade). He says to set the timer for 530am to mimic sunrise. It even works if you sleep through it. Remember, we evolved from sleeping in trees (his words). I start this in mid-October and continue through March 15. In addition, he puts me on a second antidepressant.

Answer 10

Use a sunbed just once every two weeks its so minimal that you wont get a tan but its the heat and light that help with the feel good factor.