How depressing is winter?
And what is S.A.D.?
When the days start getting shorter and colder, and
the nights longer and darker, many people start to suffer from winter
depression, or Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD.)
Cheer up, you have a recognized medical condition
Don’t worry, summer is only six months away.
One of the worst aspects of any form of depressive illness is the sense of utter isolation and loneliness it induces. There is thus some comfort to be drawn by SAD sufferers from the fact that you are surrounded by people who feel equally grouchy and nihilistic around this time of year.
Without doubt the most effective clinically proven remedy for SAD is “light therapy,” which has been shown to benefit some 80-85 percent of cases. Simple as it sounds this actually involves rather more than just turning on a light and sitting beside it for a while twiddling your thumbs as renewed cheer inexorably suffuses your being.
Fortunately, specially designed light boxes have been developed that emit precisely the right amount of illumination. These can be bought from specialist retailers and, at their most basic, cost around $190. By sitting in front of one for a certain period each day — 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the severity of your conditions — symptoms gradually subside.
CNN did an update spot on SAD lights, this morning. Interesting to learn that blue light was the critical part of the spectrum.
Cheer up, you have a recognized medical condition
Don’t worry, summer is only six months away.
One of the worst aspects of any form of depressive illness is the sense of utter isolation and loneliness it induces. There is thus some comfort to be drawn by SAD sufferers from the fact that you are surrounded by people who feel equally grouchy and nihilistic around this time of year.
Without doubt the most effective clinically proven remedy for SAD is “light therapy,” which has been shown to benefit some 80-85 percent of cases. Simple as it sounds this actually involves rather more than just turning on a light and sitting beside it for a while twiddling your thumbs as renewed cheer inexorably suffuses your being.
Fortunately, specially designed light boxes have been developed that emit precisely the right amount of illumination. These can be bought from specialist retailers and, at their most basic, cost around $190. By sitting in front of one for a certain period each day — 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the severity of your conditions — symptoms gradually subside.
CNN did an update spot on SAD lights, this morning. Interesting to learn that blue light was the critical part of the spectrum.
I thought the neatest device they showed was a
sunrise light - a small hemisphere for your bedroom that imitates the rising sun
and gradually wakes you by lighting up the room.
Posted: Tue - November 6, 2007 at 08:08 AM