Altho fall is my favorite season, it always brings a little sense of melancholy: the green world turning brown, the days getting shorter, another year nearing an end.

For the last week or so depression's been sucking me down: I'm pessimistic, unmotivated, wanting to snarf down every carb or Lindt Creamy bar I can find.

I think maybe it's the rapidly diminishing daylight that's rousing my wintertime companion, seasonal depression. Already.

It seems to come earlier and last longer every year. BIG SIGH.

Fall hasn't officially begun and daylight saving time (which REALLY cranks it up a notch, yippee!) is 6 weeks away. Double ugh.

I don't need advice on managing it (keep exercising, watch the diet, socialize, yadda yadda yadda).

But, are any other SAD people feeling it ALREADY?

Yep, thats me. I've been thinking about getting a SAD Light (thanks Judo )

I love the fall too but dread the winter, guess thats whats bothering me as well. Winter is getting up at 4:30 am in the dark and coming home at night 5:00 pm in the dark, so I'm not looking forward to that end of it.

Here's a link to a light that some one here recommended
http://www.lighttherapyproducts.com/...ern_light.html

i know it's starting to kick in for me too... in fact, i'm pulling my light out this week instead of early Oct like i usually do

Leenie, I leave for work in the morning in the dark and drive home in the dark too.. it's a long season

yes, i'm beginning to feel it already.

We don't have daylight savings time here in arizona.. (and it sucks because then it starts getting dark at like 5 in the afternoon) but it's still pretty nice here in Arizona.. but the nights are starting to get really cold.
I'm not a big fan of the cold. I just hate not being able to sit outside and hang or visit, now we have to find a warm place inside. So late night talks outside are starting to get rare because it's getting cold.

Its the one thing I hate about Arizona.. it can be like 90 degrees in the day and at night it can get to like 50 degrees. So I always have my summer and winter clothes out at the same time for the first two months of fall.

it always makes me wanna curl up under a blanket on the sofa and watch TV and this makes me lazy.

I start feeling melancholy about the time of the Summer Solstice (June 21). That's when the nights begin to get longer. I definitely suffer from SAD. One bright spot that sort of helps me, mentally anyway, is that at Yule (Winter Solstice, Dec. 21-ish), the days begin to grow again. January and February are my worst times, though.

I considered a light last year because it's even worse in England for me than it was back home. At least in Ohio there was sunlight during the daylight hours whereas in England, all of January and February tend to be gray and drizzly with no peep of sunshine until March or April. And living by the seaside reinforces the sense of depression because when the tide is out and it's a gray day, it just looks so forlorn and bereft. I do increase my intake of Vit C and Vit D sometime in December and I have my parents visit in February to look forward to, as well so I'm hoping this year won't be as bad as last year.

Yes- it kicked in about a week and a half ago. Last year a friend lent me her SAD light for 4 months and I used it every morning while I ate breakfast...not even the prescribed amount of time, but it really helped. I'm looking into buying one this weekend.

Mel

I live in Texas. Since it's just now cool enough to do stuff outside, I'm not feeling it, yet. However, now that you mention it, I'm a little worried. My husband has a new job that will have him traveling out of state every week for several days at a time. Now I'm concerned about being lonely and in the dark.

turned mine on today for first day this year

Normally I would be right there with you, but this summer has been a real drag for me.

The combination of heat and humidity made me feel so uncomfortable. I could be reading and would still sweat as though I ran a mile. Plus I was (am) having issues with my Lexpro, in which my skin would develop an intense burning sensation. So anything that made me feel too warm, made me nervous.

I am actually excited that the weather is cooling down. I'm not a fan of shorter days and longer nights, but right now I would take Fall of Summer anytime.

UGH! I feel awful! In the summer, when it gets light as early as 4am and stays light til about 10:30pm, I am a bundle of energy. I can spring out of bed at 6:30 or 7 and feel really good. But lately, it's all I can do to drag my carcass out of bed and I spend most of the morning feeling groggy and disoriented. Plus, I'm back to falling asleep on the sofa at 9pm, which is no good for my love life with hubby!

Maybe I'm just paying closer attention but the physical effects this year are so much more noticeable.

Anyway, nothing constructive to say. Just feeling the need to vent as I feel like death warmed over this morning!

Funny I should come across this thread today. I saw my shrink today. She has been treating me for depression for a couple of months now. The meds had been working well. Today I told her that about 2 weeks ago I was in a deep depression. She said it had been a week or so with clouds and rain. She said it sound like SAD. She said I needed a full spectrum light. Surprisingly my insurance company is going to pay for it in full. I have always been depressed and have stated many times that I which I could go to bed October and get up in March. I have always figured it was because of the holiday and having no family. Plus the cold weather has me in a fibromyalgia flare up. I hope this will help.

I definitely notice a change already -especially on those overcast days. I have started my tanning already & am focussing on getting my exercise to be real regular before the real winter kicks in. My Mom & I are discussing building our own light since the things are soooo expensive.

I am not sure that tanning is the answer to SAD. My doc ordered a light box for me. It was approved by my insurance company and they in turn called Apria Healthcare to order it. Friday I got a call and was told that it was in. I went to go pick it up and it was HUGE. I get it home and hubby put it together. It ends up being a tanning light (2 feet by 3 feet in size). It is not what I expected. So I did some research online. The company that made it says it is for people with skin disorders. No where do say it was for SAD. Of course by the time I figured it all out, it was after hours Friday. So I have called my doc and Apria to tell them it is not the right kind of light. I have a high genrtic factor for cancer. I certainly don't want to have other factors like tanning add to that. The whole reason for losing weight is to help cut back the risk factors.

I am feeling it. I think my biggest problem though is I work nights, so I don't see a lot of light period. I usually am loving the fall, but this year for some reason I'm just SAD. I think it has a lot to do with working nights.

We are getting up earlier today to get some errands done so hopefully that will help me a bit. I get so depressed, getting up, then seeing how beautiful it is only to have to go into work............

But honestly I love nightshift. I just think I need to get in more "daylight time" on my days off. Also asking my dr about it too.