Forums > Social Discussion > S.A.D. and what you can do to help yourself if you suffer from it.
Login/Join to ParticipateGOLD Member
Pirate Pixie Crew Captain
8,428 posts
Location: Wales
Pirate Pixie Crew Captain
8,428 posts
Location: Wales
Posted:
S.A.D. or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of winter depression that affects a large amount of people every year. I suffer from it mildly and have in the past taken St Johns Wort to combat it. I don't really like taking St Johns Wort as it makes my skin very sun sensitive. That means if it is a sunny winters day I have to slap on sun protection to stop my skin from getting all blotchy and red. So whilst looking for alternative treatments I came across light boxes.
I wanted to ask if anyone had tried them and if they found them useful. I also was wondering if you can get them on the NHS? They cost quite a lot of money and if I'm not sure they will work I'm not sure whether to pay out for one. Maybe there is a place you can hire them from to try them out?
The only other way to cure it is to move closer to the equator as the days stay almost constantly the same length there. Anyone got an Caribean Island I can live on?
S.A.D. or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of winter depression that affects a large amount of people every year. I suffer from it mildly and have in the past taken St Johns Wort to combat it. I don't really like taking St Johns Wort as it makes my skin very sun sensitive. That means if it is a sunny winters day I have to slap on sun protection to stop my skin from getting all blotchy and red. So whilst looking for alternative treatments I came across light boxes.
I wanted to ask if anyone had tried them and if they found them useful. I also was wondering if you can get them on the NHS? They cost quite a lot of money and if I'm not sure they will work I'm not sure whether to pay out for one. Maybe there is a place you can hire them from to try them out?
The only other way to cure it is to move closer to the equator as the days stay almost constantly the same length there. Anyone got an Caribean Island I can live on?
Feed me Chocolate!!! Feed me NOW!
SILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,785 posts
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom
Pooh-Bah
1,785 posts
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom
Posted:
these people hire out the light boxes
https://www.sad-lighthire.co.uk/
i am seriously contemplating getting a light.
Every time i talk to my doctor about it he says that its either drugs or lights and i really don't want the drugs. There doesn't seem to be much help available for it
these people hire out the light boxes
https://www.sad-lighthire.co.uk/
i am seriously contemplating getting a light.
Every time i talk to my doctor about it he says that its either drugs or lights and i really don't want the drugs. There doesn't seem to be much help available for it
BRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England
Posted:
*cough*
[Old link]
Regardless of season - you can always search
*cough*
[Old link]
Regardless of season - you can always search
Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude
GOLD Member
Pirate Pixie Crew Captain
8,428 posts
Location: Wales
Pirate Pixie Crew Captain
8,428 posts
Location: Wales
Posted:
Oops, bad lil ol' me.
Sorry!
I put it down to lack of sleep, festival cold and being a lazy cow. I'll try harder in the future
Oops, bad lil ol' me.
Sorry!
I put it down to lack of sleep, festival cold and being a lazy cow. I'll try harder in the future
Feed me Chocolate!!! Feed me NOW!
SILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,666 posts
Location: Preston, United Kingdom
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,666 posts
Location: Preston, United Kingdom
Posted:
What is S.A.D skully? If its a type of depresion cant you just increase the ammount of excersie you do during winter when it starts to affect you? I hear excersize is an excelent anti-depressant, help you get rid of those annoying bits that everybody has about themselves. Two reasons to be happy then lol, unless its something deeper and that wouldnt really help.
What is S.A.D skully? If its a type of depresion cant you just increase the ammount of excersie you do during winter when it starts to affect you? I hear excersize is an excelent anti-depressant, help you get rid of those annoying bits that everybody has about themselves. Two reasons to be happy then lol, unless its something deeper and that wouldnt really help.
Chief adviser to the Pharaoh, in one very snazzy mutli-coloured coat
'Time goes by so slowly for those who wait...' - Whatever Happend To Baby Madonna?
GOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted:
you can move in with me
you can move in with me
Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always
BRONZE Member
Macaque of all trades
8,738 posts
Location: wombling free..., United Kingdom
Macaque of all trades
8,738 posts
Location: wombling free..., United Kingdom
Posted:
The only S.A.D I get in winter is the incremental difficulty of getting up in the mornings....when the suns up, I'm up but in winter I find it so much more difficult to drag myself out of bed. Not a form of depression par say, possibly just a throw back to wanting to hibernate
The only S.A.D I get in winter is the incremental difficulty of getting up in the mornings....when the suns up, I'm up but in winter I find it so much more difficult to drag myself out of bed. Not a form of depression par say, possibly just a throw back to wanting to hibernate
A couple of balls short of a full cascade... or maybe a few cards short of a deck... we'll see how this all fans out.
Hop's Kitten Jester.
1,803 posts
Location: Wonderland igloo, Vic, Australia
1,803 posts
Location: Wonderland igloo, Vic, Australia
Posted:
I suffer from S.A.D.
I'm a right little emo during winter
I suffer from S.A.D.
I'm a right little emo during winter
.:Pink Exocutioner:.
I am Jack's Raging Bile Duct...
Loving you from the deepest part of my loins.
SILVER Member
Momma Bear
4,525 posts
Location: Telford, Shrops, United Kingdom
Momma Bear
4,525 posts
Location: Telford, Shrops, United Kingdom
Posted:
i have S.A.D too, I find eating lots of stodgy puddings, wrapping up in blankets and not moving usually helps. I reckon people with SAD were actually meant to hibernate, because thats all i feel like doing.
Just to mention: dont take St Johns Wort if you're on the pill, it messes it up! But kava kava root helps too.
Lightboxes look good, but they are really expensive
Exercise does help, but when you are feeling depressed and low the last thing you want to do is get out your mr motivator video! its a bit of a catch 22 really.
lets all fly south for the winter!
i have S.A.D too, I find eating lots of stodgy puddings, wrapping up in blankets and not moving usually helps. I reckon people with SAD were actually meant to hibernate, because thats all i feel like doing.
Just to mention: dont take St Johns Wort if you're on the pill, it messes it up! But kava kava root helps too.
Lightboxes look good, but they are really expensive
Exercise does help, but when you are feeling depressed and low the last thing you want to do is get out your mr motivator video! its a bit of a catch 22 really.
lets all fly south for the winter!
Hoppers are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
GOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted:
The problem with light boxes is that you have to sit in front of it for a half hour every morning, minimum.
So if you have time for it, that's fine.
The problem with light boxes is that you have to sit in front of it for a half hour every morning, minimum.
So if you have time for it, that's fine.
-Mike
Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella
A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura
SILVER Member
addict
449 posts
Location: Australia
addict
449 posts
Location: Australia
Posted:
Aren't there pills called melatonin that give you the same effect as being in the sun? They're used to reset your body clock if you're jetlagged, maybe they could be used in the treatment of SAD...
Maybe try meditating/visualising that you're in very bright sunlight, and trick your body into thinking you really are. If you do it convincingly enough you'll probably have the same physiological effects. Of course, this is difficult when it's been so long that you've forgotten what sunlight looks like. I don't know how anyone can live in cold, gloomy countries. I know i wouldn't last.
A lot of depression is due to the strange, alien society we live in. We simply aren't built for this superficial, material, modern life. People don't get depressed when they're living natural lives in tribes. This is for various reasons, eg. a closer community, better relationships.... Also their life has more meaning because they might have to actually have to struggle to survive instead of sitting around thinking 'whats the point?'
In spite of this, SAD is a funny thing because it's not society's fault at all; it's caused by a lack of sunlight, which hasn't changed. But is SAD a recent phenomenon? Whats really causing it????
Aren't there pills called melatonin that give you the same effect as being in the sun? They're used to reset your body clock if you're jetlagged, maybe they could be used in the treatment of SAD...
Maybe try meditating/visualising that you're in very bright sunlight, and trick your body into thinking you really are. If you do it convincingly enough you'll probably have the same physiological effects. Of course, this is difficult when it's been so long that you've forgotten what sunlight looks like. I don't know how anyone can live in cold, gloomy countries. I know i wouldn't last.
A lot of depression is due to the strange, alien society we live in. We simply aren't built for this superficial, material, modern life. People don't get depressed when they're living natural lives in tribes. This is for various reasons, eg. a closer community, better relationships.... Also their life has more meaning because they might have to actually have to struggle to survive instead of sitting around thinking 'whats the point?'
In spite of this, SAD is a funny thing because it's not society's fault at all; it's caused by a lack of sunlight, which hasn't changed. But is SAD a recent phenomenon? Whats really causing it????
SILVER Member
with added berries
1,365 posts
Location: Manchester, England (UK)
with added berries
1,365 posts
Location: Manchester, England (UK)
Posted:
My old flatmate had a lightbox, she suffers from M.E., and she found it really helped her, she would use it more in the afternoons or evenings though. Another thing to consider is the fact they are very big, you need a lot of room for them, and they're not exactly pretty either.
My old flatmate had a lightbox, she suffers from M.E., and she found it really helped her, she would use it more in the afternoons or evenings though. Another thing to consider is the fact they are very big, you need a lot of room for them, and they're not exactly pretty either.
Live like there is no tomorrow,
dance like nobody is watching
and hula hoop like wiggling will save the world.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
SILVER Member
Momma Bear
4,525 posts
Location: Telford, Shrops, United Kingdom
Momma Bear
4,525 posts
Location: Telford, Shrops, United Kingdom
Posted:
hmmm, there's only one thing for it, lets spend the winter in Oz. i have a brother out there!(he's not very nice, but i'm sure we can all stay in his apartment) and if that doesnt work, my cousin nick lives in Oz too, and i have lots of cousins all over Oz.
So thats settled then. Everyone, pack your bags! No gloomy hoppers this winter!!
hmmm, there's only one thing for it, lets spend the winter in Oz.
i have a brother out there!(he's not very nice, but i'm sure we can all stay in his apartment) and if that doesnt work, my cousin nick lives in Oz too, and i have lots of cousins all over Oz. So thats settled then. Everyone, pack your bags! No gloomy hoppers this winter!!
Hoppers are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
GOLD Member
member
45 posts
Location: Bville, OK, USA
member
45 posts
Location: Bville, OK, USA
Posted:
ok, I'm clueless, what's in the light box? Looks like a sham to me. If its just full spectrum light then why not just get some full spectrum bulbs for your indoor lighting? Anyhow, I find the best way to beat the winter blues is to keep making preperations for the spring... But then I'm an outdoorsy kinda dood... even in the freezing cold...
ok, I'm clueless, what's in the light box? Looks like a sham to me. If its just full spectrum light then why not just get some full spectrum bulbs for your indoor lighting? Anyhow, I find the best way to beat the winter blues is to keep making preperations for the spring... But then I'm an outdoorsy kinda dood... even in the freezing cold...
analytic
503 posts
Location: bristol
503 posts
Location: bristol
Posted:
5-HTP: it's worth a try
i want a lightbox, though. maybe i can persuade the university to rent one for me
5-HTP: it's worth a try
i want a lightbox, though. maybe i can persuade the university to rent one for me
ture na sig
Scientist of Fortune
1,189 posts
Location: Edinburgh
1,189 posts
Location: Edinburgh
Posted:
I think most people have S.A.D. to one extent or anouther but luckily those severly afflicted are quite rare. I've never heard of St. Georges Wart used to treat it before but obviously it's a rather powerful drug with a lot of side effects so I would be inclined to avoid it. Meditation might help with the emotion side of winter time but a lot of S.A.D results from a lack of the chemicals physicaly produced by light exposure so it can't help there. I've heard good things about light boxes and there's no reason why they shouldn't work in theory.
I think most people have S.A.D. to one extent or anouther but luckily those severly afflicted are quite rare. I've never heard of St. Georges Wart used to treat it before but obviously it's a rather powerful drug with a lot of side effects so I would be inclined to avoid it. Meditation might help with the emotion side of winter time but a lot of S.A.D results from a lack of the chemicals physicaly produced by light exposure so it can't help there. I've heard good things about light boxes and there's no reason why they shouldn't work in theory.
According to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Dynamics, we may already be making love right now...
Carpal \'Tunnel
7,193 posts
Location: in the trees
7,193 posts
Location: in the trees
Posted:
i suffer form S.A.D. too and used to use st jons wort but my mum foun a nice, compact stylish looing light box chhep on ebay. but i havent actualy used it yet so i couldn't say for sure if it works as we only got it eight weeks ago.
i've found i eat way more fruit in the winter months especialy bananas, any other time of year i won't touch them with a barge pole (haha) chocolate is also good but has to be quality choc, non of this poo cadburys churn out, it MUST have over 35% cocoa solids!!!!
also porridge is good, it's slow reliesing energy will stop you feeling drained by mid morning
i suffer form S.A.D. too and used to use st jons wort but my mum foun a nice, compact stylish looing light box chhep on ebay. but i havent actualy used it yet so i couldn't say for sure if it works as we only got it eight weeks ago.
i've found i eat way more fruit in the winter months especialy bananas, any other time of year i won't touch them with a barge pole (haha) chocolate is also good but has to be quality choc, non of this poo cadburys churn out, it MUST have over 35% cocoa solids!!!!
also porridge is good, it's slow reliesing energy will stop you feeling drained by mid morning
SILVER Member
All the neurotic makings of America's lesser known sweetheart
9,831 posts
Location: body in Las Vegas, heart all around the world, USA
All the neurotic makings of America's lesser known sweetheart
9,831 posts
Location: body in Las Vegas, heart all around the world, USA
Posted:
i suffer from a moderate to severe case of S.A.D. never used a light box but i've been thinking about it this year. i think part of what you can do to help, at least what i try, is be aware ahead of time and take measures to minimize the effects. i KNOW i get severly depressed every fall/winter, so this year, i upped my dose of zoloft, i'm making a conscious effort to spend time with friends, i'm focusing on things i know will help me feel better (hence one of the reasons i've been around this site more lately).
S.A.D. is not a recent phenomenon, it's just recently been "labelled." i don't think it has anything to do with our society, it's a real and observable issue, even in "natural" settings. i like jo_rhymes theory...maybe we were just meant to hibernate.
i suffer from a moderate to severe case of S.A.D. never used a light box but i've been thinking about it this year. i think part of what you can do to help, at least what i try, is be aware ahead of time and take measures to minimize the effects. i KNOW i get severly depressed every fall/winter, so this year, i upped my dose of zoloft, i'm making a conscious effort to spend time with friends, i'm focusing on things i know will help me feel better (hence one of the reasons i've been around this site more lately).
S.A.D. is not a recent phenomenon, it's just recently been "labelled." i don't think it has anything to do with our society, it's a real and observable issue, even in "natural" settings. i like jo_rhymes theory...maybe we were just meant to hibernate.
I was always scared with my mother's obsession with the good scissors. It made me wonder if there were evil scissors lurking in the house somewhere.
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
**giggles**
GOLD Member
Mission: Ignition
534 posts
Location: Central New Jersey, USA
Mission: Ignition
534 posts
Location: Central New Jersey, USA
Posted:
It is harder to motivate yourself to get out of bed in the morning. I used to swim for my highschool during the winter, so that kept me active and usually very happy. I just graduated so I'm actually worried about joining your S.A.D club.
It is harder to motivate yourself to get out of bed in the morning. I used to swim for my highschool during the winter, so that kept me active and usually very happy. I just graduated so I'm actually worried about joining your S.A.D club.
Don't mind me, just passing through.
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