View Full Version : SAD...Seasonal Affective Disorder
Hi There,
How many other Orgers are affected by SAD? ( Seasonal Affective Disorder)
It is only the end of October and I am already finding it hard to stay awake and even harder to fight off the lethargy and depression .:(
I try to get out into as much daylight as I can and am considering purchasing a 'light box' this winter.
Has anyone tried them and do they work for you? (At upwards of £200 this is a real consideration.)
I would be interested to hear others experience of this disorder and what , if anything, they have found useful in combating it.
Thanks
Karia
Hibeechick
30-Oct-07, 16:44
Harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning!
I find that a trip to the sunbed even just for a short session once a week helps loads. Doctors have recommended to some people to try it. Obviously not over doing it. Just a wee shot once a week or so.
I suffered from it years ago, before the doctors starting to recognise it as a real affliction. All I'd want to do is sleep all day aswell as the night, hibinating like an animal i suppose, however I never got anything done for it and haven't really suffered with it for about 11 years, since i started having kids! I guess ive got enough to keep me busy so i dont notice it anymore.
So if you dont already have kids!!!..........if nothing else the trying will give you something to do on the long winter nights!;) ( probably cheaper to by the lamp in the long run though!!)
i must be weird, i love the autumn and winter.. cant wait for the snow to start falling.... as long as it doesnt stop the trains on the 23 and 27th december!!!
I've been "just about to" buy a lightbox for a couple of months now....on the recommendation of another Orger, and of a few folk on another forum. I'd thought of St John's Wort, but would rather not take something that could cause side effects.
I'm fine on cold bright days, but not so good if there's a long, dull grey spell, and now the hour's changed I do feel much lower in spirits and energy by tea time.
What's held me back so far is the significant cost and my usual inability to make decisons...:roll:
...if I do buy one, do I get a cheaper one to start with, which I may then regret buying as it won't be powerful enough, or should I go for a better one, which I can't realistically afford? :confused
Anyway, I'm off to check out prices again.....and see if there's some sort of compromise...
cuddlepop
30-Oct-07, 17:46
Its been one of those days over here that can only be desrcribed as dreight:(
took the dogs out before the rain and mist came down but even they now look so unhappy.
I was wondering though what did people do before they could buy these light boxes?
I find that getting out regardless of the weather picks up your spirits or maybe its just having the dogs that chase the blues away.:)
Lavenderblue2
30-Oct-07, 20:16
:( I've suffered from S.A.D for years and I do have a light box, it's a bit old and industrial looking compared with the sleek models you can get now.
I really must get it out because I felt awful today - I find that I am often lower than I imagine I am, because something will happen (like it did today) and I feel as though I have the weight of the world on my chest.
I think you have the right idea in getting out in the open as much as possible Cuddlepop, although if I am feeling really down I tend to lack the motivation.
I think that following our non-summer there will be many more folk who will succumb to this horrible affliction this winter.
Roll on next March when the clocks go forward – it can’t come quick enough for me.
LB
The light box really does work. I have always have had the "winter blues", but when we moved here, the first winter really affected me. Touch wood, since getting a box, I am a lot better, in fact I am sitting here with it on now.
Harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning!
I find that a trip to the sunbed even just for a short session once a week helps loads. Doctors have recommended to some people to try it. Obviously not over doing it. Just a wee shot once a week or so.
Yeah, a blast on the sunbed fair picks you up.:D
I don't get problems my self, but know folk who do.. More info here:
http://www.sada.org.uk/ (http://www.sada.org.uk/)
i must be weird, i love the autumn and winter.. cant wait for the snow to start falling.... as long as it doesnt stop the trains on the 23 and 27th december!!!
I love the snow as well - can stay out in it for hours... and have done in the past. Winter always makes me think of thick soups and stews, hotdogs, roast dinners, etc. Also, that hard crisp hoar frost that a harsh winter brings always reminds me the first girl I fancied - back when I was 10.... not because she was frosty but because I took a Christmas card round on such a frosty night.
Aww Ricco,what a lovely memory :) I think I do suffer from it to a point but that said I prefer winter to summer!No wasps annoying me or flies etc and like Ricco said lovely crisp mornings! A friend of mine suffered badly from it and she bought a lightbox which did help her so I suppose it really is helpful if you are badly affected by this disorder x
My wife has been troubled with this sad for years, an ever since it has been classsified as an official ailment, she has sort of come to terms with it, at least she now has a handle to put on this seasonal blight an as such can deal with it much better.
I don't suffer from it myself, i have my down days like everyone else but i can understand why people suffer from it. Since the clocks have changed the nights certainly seem to drag, the weather seems more miserable or maybe it all seems to have happened at once this year.
I am thinking of purchasing a SAD lamp from the Tesco book, i think it is about £70 and they are quite cheap on E-bay. my friend has one and says she feels so much better now and has more energy,sleeps better and awakes refreshed and not so depressed.
Lolabelle
31-Oct-07, 09:13
OK, what is a light box???? :eek:
As alternative you could get onto a plane and come over to Oz for winter, ;) ours summer is bright and shiney. Where you guys are stuck with gloom and winter, we are stuck with glare and drought, flies, heat, heat and heat.
Did I mention the heat!
I do love summer though.
I'll try to take some nice summery photo's for you all.
Hi, I don't know a lot about lightboxes but I did check around and found that prices vary dramatically.
The site shown in the link below claims to be Britain's biggest supplier and they offer a full refund if you don't think the light is helping you. You have to return within 30 days so you should get a reasonable trial before having to decide. Hope this is of some help to someone.
http://www.electronichealing.co.uk/products/sadrondo.htm
Why are 'light-boxes' so expensive?
Found this:
1) You can make your own "Light Box" with inexpensive "Shop Lights". I recommend obtaining 4, twin lamp, 4 foot, "Shop Lights" and a plug strip. Screw them to a board, install "cool white" lamps and set them against a wall and sit 3 feet away. Remember, light follows the inverse square rule, so if you sit 6 feet away you will only get one-fourth the light.
2) Strangely, lightboxes are sometimes quite expensive, which is odd, as there's nothing "magical" about them. One rainy day when I was wondering how I might best get rid of an old sunbed which was cluttering up the place, I had a bright idea which may make some good sense and be helpful. If you get an old sunbed and replace the UV tubes in it with standard fluorescent lamp tubes of the same length, you have in effect created a lightbox! As old sunbeds of the type that are surplus to requirements can be acquired cheaply on the second-hand market, and replacing the fluorescent tubes is relatively easy and inexpensive, there is a solution to the lightbox shortage.
It is only the end of October and I am already finding it hard to stay awake and even harder to fight off the lethargy and depression .:(
So you are being affected by the seasons are you? The physical orientation of the planet around our star is having a tangible affect on your mental happiness? Hmmm...
A need for a pick-me-up perhaps? A celebration? Something to tie you over until you have something really to celebrate? Like something that will allieviate your suffering? Something like a turn in the length of days perhaps? Hmmm...:roll:
In the meantime, get a lightbox, they really do work wonders on the pineal gland.
People from another forum I belong to have recently recommended this company:
http://www.sad-lighthire.co.uk (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://www.sad-lighthire.co.uk)
Despite their name, they sell the boxes as well as hire them out.
If you prefer, you can rent one to begin with and if you decide to keep it after one month, they deduct some (though not all) of the rental you've paid from the purchase price.
I can't find anything to say that if you just buy in the first place, you can return the box if you don't find it useful however.
Thank you everyone for your input, you have given me much to think about.
Despite having suffered from this for decades I am always convinced that this year it will be different..then the darkness descends!:(
So much for optimism over experience.
At least now I know I am suffering with friends!;)
Karia
Thank you everyone for your input, you have given me much to think about.
Despite having suffered from this for decades I am always convinced that this year it will be different..then the darkness descends!:(
So much for optimism over experience.
At least now I know I am suffering with friends!;)
Karia
More of us than you think Karia I am going to follow Angelas lead and check out the lamps this year
Ax
More of us than you think Karia I am going to follow Angelas lead and check out the lamps this year
Ax
Me too Anne!
I think can offset the cost with my electricity bill as I cannot stand to be in the house without all the lights on at the moment...place looks like a shop window!:lol:
More of us than you think Karia I am going to follow Angelas lead and check out the lamps this year
Ax
Anne, I have to confess that I've now heard from a very kind Orger who suggested some time ago that I should try a lightbox. This Orger is going to upgrade to a more powerful version this winter and has just offered me their original model to see how I get on with it.
You know who you are!! ;) and thank you very much indeed!
Sometimes our Org really does restore your faith in human nature. :D
Some further info on the claimed benefits of light:-
http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpip/lightingAnswers/fullSpectrum/claims.asp
Thanks for that link Scorrie..most informative!
well done Angela let me know how it goes thanks to all who have sent links all very informative information
just goes to show one is never alone
Ax
Sorry, I didn't mean to sound as though I didn't appreciate all the links forwarded..they have all been most useful.:)
I mentioned scorrie's last link in particular as it is not a source I would have happened across in a month of Sundays!;)
karia
Sorry, I didn't mean to sound as though I didn't appreciate all the links forwarded..they have all been most useful.
I mentioned scorrie's last link in particular as it is not a source I would have happened across in a month of Sundays!
karia
I certainly didn't think that, karia. :)
Maybe this will be overkill, but here's one more....
http://www.lumie.com
I do find getting out for a walk first thing (even on a dull grey day) makes me feel so much better, but for some of us Orgers, sadly that's much easier said than done! :roll:
I certainly didn't think that, karia. :)
Maybe this will be overkill, but here's one more....
www.lumie.com
I do find getting out for a walk first thing (even on a dull grey day) makes me feel so much better, but for some of us Orgers, sadly that's much easier said than done! :roll:
Working link added.
I noticed an ad in a catalogue last night, apparently this company's light boxes start at £100 and are about the size of a laptop.
http://www.sad.uk.com/
So why are so many ladies affected or is it just that we men won't admit that it hits us too?
Is it something to do with the closing door effect of putting the clocks back? I know we can't create more daylight but I hate the shorter afternoons and fully support ROSPA, carbon footprinters and anyone else who questions the rational for this unecessary practice and as a crofter I would welcome the chance to see my animals once in the daylight when I return from work in the late afternoon.
So why are so many ladies affected or is it just that we men won't admit that it hits us too?
Is it something to do with the closing door effect of putting the clocks back? I know we can't create more daylight but I hate the shorter afternoons and fully support ROSPA, carbon footprinters and anyone else who questions the rational for this unecessary practice and as a crofter I would welcome the chance to see my animals once in the daylight when I return from work in the late afternoon.
Is that the case Errogie?
I haven't seen figures on it..so don't know if there is a female bias...would be interested.
regards karia
Welcomefamily
01-Nov-07, 20:51
I never believe it until I came up here, 3 mins in Tan Cabin I find it works well just once a week.
I know it's not always possible to tell whether a poster is male or female but I was picking up on who had seemed to be affected by the condition but of course realise that presumes that posters are a fair representation of the population and then of course how many are resident in the far north.
No doubt someone will come up with a website link which will answer these questions about the distribution and prevalence of SAD which might apply to the ORG contributors.
And then has anyone observed whether there is some sort of manic reaction the other way in spring when the light comes back and everything starts to burst out of the ground. One possible useful but totally non scientific observation I have made is on the quality of poetry devoted towards Autmn and Winter as opposed to the other time of the year. By and large the Autumn subject matter seems to produce more memorable lines, who can ever forget "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness". So perhaps a novel treatment for SAD would be to memorise and keep recalling a few choice poetic mantras for whenever the blues come round the corner.
does all this mean that there is a sort of manic counter effect in
Okay Errogie,
I will try to rouse myself out of this all too real lethargy and write a seasonal poem.
The light has gone and with it wit
Who knows what will become of it
Am sad and waiting for the new
several months and not so few
Will take me back to my old friends
Where love and hope pay dividends!;)
Kariaxx
That's great Karia but could be a tad more optimistic!
That's great Karia but could be a tad more optimistic!
Just wait until I get my lightbox Errogie!
What rhymes with happy bunnies again?;)
kariaxx
orkneylass
04-Nov-07, 20:38
Karia, you should be able to get a box for nearer to £100 that you will benefit from using just 1 hour per day. Try http://www.electronichealing.co.uk/products/sadlightbox.htm
I am involved in a projected connected to the NHS and am looking at purchasing a large number of the litepod boxes.
The special bulbs apparently last for 3 winters.
Karia, you should be able to get a box for nearer to £100 that you will benefit from using just 1 hour per day. Try http://www.electronichealing.co.uk/products/sadlightbox.htm (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://www.electronichealing.co.uk/products/sadlightbox.htm)
I am involved in a projected connected to the NHS and am looking at purchasing a large number of the litepod boxes.
The special bulbs apparently last for 3 winters.
thanks Orkneylass that looks a good link a hr a day sounds good I will inform you on progress
orkneylass
04-Nov-07, 20:46
Anne - the litepod is ideal for locating below your computer monitor so that the light can hit the back of your retina while you are working on the machine - so you can get light therapy from your box and support from the org, all at the same time. Let us all know how it goes.
I don't want to set the thread off at a tangent but is it possible that SAD is more common and "natural" than we think.
Most ancient societies around the world came up with a reason for having some sort of Festival involving fire or light in the middle of winter.
In modern times, as we have become aware of them, we have used various "explanations" for them revolving round "Astronomy" and the Sun.
Could it just be that ancient societies were more in touch with their changing moods and simply created such ceremonies to raise their spirits, at least for a while, and that the more "technical" reasons for them came later.
SAD definitely exists, should anybody think it doesn't, because it is very rarely found amongst people living near the Equator, where the length of day and night hardly varies, and increases gradually the further populations live north and south of there.
Good luck to those seeking a solution, I hope you all find one which works.
Thank you Jaws,
That folks take it seriously is half the battle!
karia
Bobinovich
04-Nov-07, 22:47
So why are so many ladies affected or is it just that we men won't admit that it hits us too?
I did wonder why most of the posters were female - this website appears to answer the query...
http://www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/sad.htm#demographics (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/sad.htm#demographics)
"Women are far more likely to be diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder than men. There are many possible reasons for this. Women with small children are more likely to be isolated during the winter months, while those with careers are not. Men are less likely than women to be home caretakers for small children."
I did wonder why most of the posters were female - this website appears to answer the query...
http://www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/sad.htm#demographics (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/sad.htm#demographics)
"Women are far more likely to be diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder than men. There are many possible reasons for this. Women with small children are more likely to be isolated during the winter months, while those with careers are not. Men are less likely than women to be home caretakers for small children."
It is much more simple than that. Men are too "tough" to admit that they are at all weak in ANY respect. That is why they die, like whimpin cowards, long before women do.
Karia, you are absolutely right. The problem is, as with so many other similar disorders, because it is not visible and because it cannot be accurately measured then it is all to easy to say it does not exist, is imagined or is "put on" and to treat it as a joke.
Orkneylass will pm you and thanks
yipee I got a lamp from Santa !!! will tell all if it works Scorrie thanks for the link
Ax
Hi, I don't know a lot about lightboxes but I did check around and found that prices vary dramatically.
The site shown in the link below claims to be Britain's biggest supplier and they offer a full refund if you don't think the light is helping you. You have to return within 30 days so you should get a reasonable trial before having to decide. Hope this is of some help to someone.
http://www.electronichealing.co.uk/products/sadrondo.htm
I just had a look on this site and they are very expensive
I wish it was possible to rent or hire cheaply from the NHS, I can't wait for brighter days.
I hate this time of year and find myself craving more daylight.
cuddlepop
29-Dec-07, 17:06
Thankfully I dont suffer from this condition but I know if it continues to rain for much longer and I cant get out for a walk without getting soaked I will go"stir crazy"
Today started off bright and sunny so went out for our usual walk,got soaked as the rain appeared from nowhere.:(
Nevermind shortest day over,uphill all the way now.:D
Margaret M.
29-Dec-07, 18:21
Thankfully I dont suffer from this condition but I know if it continues to rain for much longer and I cant get out for a walk without getting soaked I will go"stir crazy"
I hear you -- when I was over this summer, it rained for days on end and it was downright depressing. Winter here has lots of sunny days and plenty hours of daylight so I enjoy the winter months. I feel for those who have SAD, I hope the lights help.
Maclady483
29-Dec-07, 23:03
Hiya,
I bought my sad box a couple of months ago, and I haven't looked back since!!! As a student, i wanted the cheapest, but one that works just as well as the most expensive!
I found that the cheapest sad light on this site, works amazingly. I put it on for an hour before work (when getting dressed/putting on makeup/eating breakfast... etc) and I am bouncy and wide awake at my desk!!
http://sad-lighting.co.uk/
Hope this could help :)
Laura (on my mum's account :))
sassybreeks
06-Jan-08, 21:00
I bought one from Cybercheckout.co.uk - Day Light LUX Wellness Light (SAD Light) - £38 incl postage and i too have never looked back. Plug it in whilst drying/straightening hair etc... Like sitting in daylight! :)
We're still looking into some sort of solution folks (see the other thread from a few days ago). Whether I'll be able to get something organised before Spring springs, I don't know, but we're committed to help in some way.
Meanwhile, I just hope you are all managing to get out for at least a little while for some daylight.
Andrew
Hi
because of the 48hr bug various visitors over holiday period and because I intend to set it up in my study which was occupied by assortment of family
I have not managed to use my present from Santa ( Santa has told me he bought it from Amazon ) so maybe its a more reasonable price than quoted before I dont want to check it out as that is rude
will keep you informed
Ax
Tesco have a sad lamp in their catalogue, delivered free to the store, for around £80. They are also cheaper on e-bay from e-bay shops as well.
To offer some update on where we are getting to with our 'light clinic' and possible local (free or low cost) hire for light boxes, I can say its going well! I wrote about it in a similarly titled thread, so some of you here may not have picked up on the fact that The Salvation Army are looking into providing a light clinic.
We have been advised that we wouldn't need to register this service with a health authority, thus reducing the complications in getting our project off the ground. We have also been in touch with several light box companies to see if they will provide discounted units to us to help us get started sooner.
We would be providing this 'clinic' for free, cup of tea and the necessary biscuit included. We are unsure of what hours we could realistically provide at the moment and over how many days we could operate. However, even if our service gives you the opportunity to try out a box for free, it would be a help.
It may also help just to have the incentive to come outside and mix with people, supporting other people who suffer in the same way.
Before anyone asks, there will be no hymn singing, bible reading or praying going on :) unless our cheery handyman happens to be changing lightbulbs whilst whistling Onward Christian Soldiers. I'll keep you all up to date with our developments
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