A Little About SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

How seasonal are you? Not suprisingly there are a lot of you who can say that the have experienced or do regularly experience SAD symptoms. Do you fing yourself slowed down during the fall and winter seasons. Do you feel down in the dumps or truly depressed. Do you gain unwanted weight that refuses to budge? You may be one of millions who suffer from SAD.

Sad causes difficulties at work and in one's personal life. The most cheerful, energetic, productive person during dark winter months becomes a lethargic, irritable hermit. They find it difficult to perform everyday tasks. Their energy level drops and they have concentration problems which are drastically different from their summer months. With the warm, sunny spring months their vitality, energy and love of life returns and they are back to their normal selves.

People with SAD have prolonged episodes of depression at the same time every year; they show up in the short days of September to November and as spring and longer days come back their symptoms dissapate. The depression increases with the shorter hours of light in October and there is a dread of the Daylight Savings Time when the clocks are changed.

Many of these suffers have symptoms to such a degree that it is necessary for them to be treated by a doctor. New techniques with therapy, light therapy and newer medications are used to lift the mood and people have found great success with them. Antidepressants are used to control the depression that drags the person down and the reccurrent depressions can be dispelled and the person can resume life again.

Exercise and diet play a part in fighting the depression caused by the shorter days of winter and if the person can find the motivation to do so the seasonal changes need not be so drastic. Eating a regular diet with low fat and carbohydrates is a natural mood lifter and also keeps off those dreaded pounds.

Artificial light has been proven to be beneficial to SAD suffers and doctors and therapists are using it with great success. Outdoor activity is encouraged and with a regime of meds can have the sufferer back to their summer months.

SAD is not the end of the end with diligence and careful treatment SAD suffers can live their lives without the fear of winter.