SAD and what makes you feel better

[Guest]

i've heard that a lot of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder this time of the year. winter is coming along and with it in the uk comes those grey days that go on and on.

so what do you do to keep the blues away? not just refering to winter time. whats your tried and tested methods of pushing depression away.

i know theres some people on here that are on medication and all that. but apart from that what do you do personally to lift your mood?

 

[flavortang]

Watch cartoons. It's nearly impossible to watch cartoons and be depressed.

 

[Vermilion]

music - the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba is a guaranteed mood-lifter - or any disco/dancey stuff.

Chocolate.

Cuddles - human or feline, I don't care

x
V

 

[scheherazade_79]

Don't get SAD. Can find something I like about all the seasons - even stormy winter nights, listening to the wind howling and the rain lashing against the window when you're indoors.

But if I'm on a downer... it used to be video games, skateboarding, weed and my favourite food. Now I've discovered that Jessi-Hugs work a million times better

 

[English Lady]

I pray -always reminds me of how damn lucky I am.

I count my blessings and every time I realise just how much I have got.

I kiss my husband, cuddle him and all make me feel good.

I listen to happy music, I cook and bake. I read a book -a bit of escapism always helps me

I come online and seek out folks to chat to, that is a bit of a gamble, though, sometimes it just makes me feel lonlier or angry.

 

[matriarch]

On the chemical side just been reading this in the New Scientist:


Chemical clue sheds light on winter depression
14:53 19 September 2007
NewScientist.com news service
Alison Motluk

The brains of people with seasonal depression may be too efficient at bundling away a key chemical, a new study suggests.

The finding in people with (SAD) backs the prevailing theory about the biochemical causes of depression, and could give clues into new ways to treat the condition.

The prevailing theory of depression is that affected people do not have enough of certain neurotransmitters called monoamines – serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine – in the spaces between neurons. Most modern antidepressants work by blocking the absorption of these neurotransmitters back into the cell.

However, there is little agreement on why levels are inadequate in the first place. It could be that depressed people produce lower volumes of the neurotransmitters, or they could break them down too rapidly. Or it could be that the neurotransmitters are removed from the junction between neurons, called the synaptic cleft, too quickly.

Matthaeus Willeit and Harald Sitte at the University of Vienna in Austria and their colleagues now have evidence for the last of these – that serotonin is being removed too efficiently.


Chemical pump
The researchers studied 73 drug-free patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and 70 people without the condition. People with SAD get depressed in the autumn and winter, and often go into remission in the spring and summer. So-called “bright light therapy” – where sufferers stare at brightly lit screens – can also relieve symptoms.

The researchers were interested in these patients’ serotonin transporter (SERT) – a molecule that "pumps" serotonin back into cells. SERT is expressed in blood platelets, so they drew blood at three points in time: in the autumn or winter (when patients were experiencing seasonal depression), after four weeks of light therapy, and again in summer.

They tested the platelets to see how much SERT was expressed there, and found levels were normal in both groups. They then measured how many times per minute the SERT would go to work removing serotonin, and here they found significant differences.

In blood taken during winter depression, SAD patients had significantly more removal events per minute than those in the healthy control group – about 350 compared with 200.

The process “is too efficient”, says Willeit. After therapy, in people who got better, the number of removal events declined. In those who did not improve, the numbers stayed the same. In summer, SAD patients’ removal events slowed to normal levels.

The finding lends support to the hypothesis that serotonin levels are key to seasonal affective disorder, and specifically suggests that at least part of the problem of depression is that the SERT becomes hyperactive, says Willeit. Exactly how light can modulate its activity is unclear, but worth exploring for possible future therapies, he adds.

 

[impressive]

Orgasms, exercise, and omega-3s ... all in large quantities.

During the winter months, I find my mood is also lifted by spending no more than 10 minutes/week in the tanning bed for just a touch of color.

For SAD, although I do not experience it, I'm a believer in light therapy. I've nothing to base that on but anecdotal evidence and the fact that it just makes sense to me.

 

[matriarch]

Orgasms, exercise, and omega-3s ... all in large quantities.

During the winter months, I find my mood is also lifted by spending no more than 10 minutes/week in the tanning bed for just a touch of color.

For SAD, although I do not experience it, I'm a believer in light therapy. I've nothing to base that on but anecdotal evidence and the fact that it just makes sense to me.

Indeed. My sister uses it. Sits in front of a light screen for 10 minutes a day. Bestest buddy also suffers from it, and she alleviates a large part of it with a daylight light bulb in a lamp. Does help some.

 

[Guest]

Indeed. My sister uses it. Sits in front of a light screen for 10 minutes a day. Bestest buddy also suffers from it, and she alleviates a large part of it with a daylight light bulb in a lamp. Does help some.

i wondered bout the bulbs. do those really work? i mean has it been proven?

 

[carsonshepherd]

My BF has SAD. He dreads the onset of winter, especially with his current health and financial issues. It's going to be tough. I want to look into light therapy for him when the days get shorter.

I'm lucky enough that depression and sadness are very fleeting for me. If I feel myself slipping (and yesterday was such a day) I renew my determination to get through this hard time with as much style as I possibly can. I work harder, I work longer. I work out at the gym. Sweating helps. So does studying harder and succeeding on exams. If I feel like I'm getting somewhere, the sadness goes away. It's futility and being "stuck" that I can't deal with. I can't do much about my current state of poverty but at least I know that if I do as well as I can in school, I'll get through this, and the future will be better.

 

[impressive]

Yes. Passivity sucks the life out of me.

 

[carsonshepherd]

Yes. Passivity sucks the life out of me.

Hey, you can't afford to sink when you've got important work to do, right?
And the plus side to this rough patch is, I'm thinner than I've been in four years.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

I have it too and have struggled with it as long as I can remember. I totally agree with Imp about the exercise, Omega 3's and tanning beds.

Also:

-Make sure you're getting enough of the proper vitamins all the way around. Vitamin deficiencies can cause and aggravate depression and a laundry list of other symptoms. Most people think they get enough from food sources, but they don't. Smoking, drinking alcohol or diet sodas or taking oral contraceptives can leech vitamins and minerals from your system.

-Too much sugar, fat, and empty carbs can contribute to depression and fatigue.

-Stay in a routine so that your body clock doesn't get out of whack. Go to bed at the same time and set your alarm clock to wake, even if you don't need to get up.

 

[Nirvanadragones]

I try to listen to my body and my mind, and recognise what I really need, because it changes often. It's not always possible, because depression in itself is deceptive, but I try to really strip the noise and pay attention to me.

Right now, it's exercise. I might even be overdoing it. But, it makes me feel good, and I have complete control over my workout - what I want, why, how long, when, circumstances, and all that.

Control, and all it's little buttons is my kick at the moment. And I work with it as much as as I can.

 

[carsonshepherd]

-Make sure you're getting enough of the proper vitamins all the way around. Vitamin deficiencies can cause and aggravate depression and a laundry list of other symptoms. Most people think they get enough from food sources, but they don't. Smoking, drinking alcohol or diet sodas or taking oral contraceptives can leech vitamins and minerals from your system.

That's another important point about light deprivation, too - Vitamin D deficiency. It slows down your cell processes, and without Vitamin D, we can't absorb or use calcium. So everyone, especially during lower-light season, should be taking a vitamin D/calcium supplement. You may now return to your regularly scheduled thread. (Can you tell we just went through this in class?)

 

[OhMissScarlett]

That's another important point about light deprivation, too - Vitamin D deficiency. It slows down your cell processes, and without Vitamin D, we can't absorb or use calcium. So everyone, especially during lower-light season, should be taking a vitamin D/calcium supplement. You may now return to your regularly scheduled thread. (Can you tell we just went through this in class?)

Right. It also helps you to keep looking young and beautiful. What more could anybody ask for?

 

[carsonshepherd]

Right. It also helps you to keep looking young and beautiful. What more could anybody ask for?

That must be why people never believe we're the age we are.

 

[christabelll]

Music
Books
Orgasms (even if mary fingers is the one doing all the work)
Walks in the park = this seems to be key - something about the fresh air and the scents - lift the spirit. Five minutes of steady walking and poof most depression is gone. And if its snowed? Definitely romping in the white stuff with all that light being reflected back.
Buying myself hothouse flowers.... something about the colors
and Light therapy - you can get full spectrum light bulbs these days. In the winter all of my lamps get them. It makes a Huge difference.
Regular doses of Cranberry "Emergen'C'" with immune boosters

Since most of fall and winter clothing is in the dark shades grey black brown etc., I try to counter balance it with splashes of bright colors like turquoise, sun yellow, bright green. The bright splashes seem to help the eye/brain thing from getting sad

My sister suffers from SAD badly. She does have to take meds for it as well as some of the above solutions.

and sometimes just having myself a really good cry clears it up.

 

[reignophelia]

I have it too and have struggled with it as long as I can remember. I totally agree with Imp about the exercise, Omega 3's and tanning beds.

Also:

-Make sure you're getting enough of the proper vitamins all the way around. Vitamin deficiencies can cause and aggravate depression and a laundry list of other symptoms. Most people think they get enough from food sources, but they don't. Smoking, drinking alcohol or diet sodas or taking oral contraceptives can leech vitamins and minerals from your system.

-Too much sugar, fat, and empty carbs can contribute to depression and fatigue.

-Stay in a routine so that your body clock doesn't get out of whack. Go to bed at the same time and set your alarm clock to wake, even if you don't need to get up.

Ditto.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Control, and all it's little buttons is my kick at the moment. And I work with it as much as as I can.

Hey, that's a great point too. I was just thinking that feeling in control of your body is so empowering and it leads to taking control of other aspects of life. One of the worst things about depression for me, was feeling like I had no control over my life and I wanted to give up and hide. Now, I'm like, "Here I am! Let me have it!"

 

[NoJo]

Get as much daylight as you can, or failing that, invest in one of these (they work!):
http://www.outsidein.co.uk/sadrange.htm

 

[Liar]

Get as much daylight as you can, or failing that, invest in one of these (they work!):
http://www.outsidein.co.uk/sadrange.htm

Yep, it's all about the lack of daylight for me. Brightly lit rooms does the trick, and rooms lit with sunlight temperatures (slightly "bluer" than your normal indoor lightning) is even better.

 

[Weird Harold]

Get as much daylight as you can, or failing that, invest in one of these (they work!):
http://www.outsidein.co.uk/sadrange.htm

For the price of one of those "lightboxes" you can replace every lightbulb in a four bedroom home with "full-spectrum" or "Grow" light bulbs.

I find that the eighteen inch, 15 watt, flourescent Grow Bulb I installed for some indoor plants is sufficient to stave off the minimal symptoms of SAD that I occasionally suffer -- living in the High Desert eliminates most of my problem with seasonal depression because long periods of depressing grey days are rare here.

 

[NoJo]

Grow lights are high in ultraviolet radiation, but it's light in the visible wavelength that is needed. The company that makes the lamps used by the outsidein products are solux. Solux lamps are used mainly by the film industry, to create very realistic daylight spectrums.

 

[Brute_Force]

Interestingly (or oddly), I think I have reverse SAD. I'm very blue during the summer months (living in a sub-tropical zone leaves me feeling oppressed, overheated and irritable much of the time). But, with the arrival of fall and then, ahhhh, WINTER, I become almost buoyant!