Hi
I too get worse with my mood in the fall starting earlier every year.
I have a light and use it every day for 20 minutes.
I think that it is helping and I want to stick with it till at least April. I ended up in the hospital last year with depression and don,t want to go there again.
Thinking of all of you.
Linda.

I have often said if I could go to bed about now and wake up in March I would be a happy camper. I just always thought it was the holidays. Doc said nope it is SAD.

My doc ordered a light 2 weeks ago for me. My insurance co is suppose to pay for it in full. I got it Friday and it is a tanning booth type light used for skin disorders. I have been on the phone half the morning trying to get the right light.

I am so frustrated. Luckily right now it sunny out. Unfortunately it is cold out.

Sorry to hear that you have recently lost your mom. I know how hard that came be. I wish you strenghen to deal with the loss.

SAD is Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is when people become depressed due to the lack of sun light in the winter. It is a chemical inbalance and the body can not adjust to the short days overcast skys. I have recently read of some cases that have the other...depression when there is too much sun in the summer. For those of us with the lack of sunlight depression, we use a light box, called a full spectrum light, that we sit near that helps simulate sun.

I wish you well dealing what loss of your mom

Chris -- Thank you for your kind words. Also, thank you for explaining SAD to me. I've never heard of it before.

SAD is very common. My sister suffers from it as well.... even more so when they moved to the Pacific Northwest.

Great link: if you need more info
http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/27.cfm

I live in Oregon and I was just saying the other day that on the news, they had once said that a lot more people are diagnosed with depression in Oregon because of all the rain and dark days we have.

Hey Michelle!

Hey Everybody. My dr put me back on my anti-depressant.

I hope you all are well.

I couldn't imagine living in a place like Oregon. I am having a hard enough time here in Virigina. The past couple of days had been sunny but today has been rain all day. I could just feel the depress building. The longer it rained the worse I felt.

Our local news had a quick little piece about new glasses one could wear when they were feeling the "winter blues". One wears the glasses for 30 minutes and the eyes are tricked into thinking the sun is shining. I don't understand why they couldn't even call it Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).