New study may explain cause of "winter blues"

As a Patient Advocate, I have encountered many people who were medicated for being "Depressed". They were unable to get across to their Physicians that they seem to feel better in springtime. Most Physicians responded: "Doesn`t everyone". Although I believe Depression needs to be handles on a case by case basis, it is without doubt that there is still resistance to SAD. Because if you medicate a person during the winter they could have a tremendous "crash effect" once taken off the medications. Therefore, it is easier for the clinician to keep patients on the medications year round. In most cases it can take up to 3 to 4 months before the correct SSRI and/or dosage is administered effectively. Thank You for bringing this to the attention of everyone here.

Yes it's quite alarming how easily people can be medicated - there are instances where that is the best course of action, no doubt.  But what I like about this study is it may lead to further research in the area of light therapy - if our brain chemistry is sensitive to light, then perhaps many depressive episodes and SAD could be countered with natural light therapy instead of medications, or at least be the first treatment option.

I take 1000mg of Vitamin D daily. Makes a big difference.

Can-eh Can-Artistry has contributed a photo to this story.

Old Quebec City, January 16, 1989.

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Personally, I escape the "winter blues" by keeping myself busy with hobbies, work, and my close ones. The more you have the chance to smile and laugh, the better your spirits will be =)

-M

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Just hit the slopes, that'll cure any "winter blues"

In Colorado we have over 300 days of sun so SADS isn't that bad. But agree with the other poster that Sam-e is a great natural remedy for depression at any time during the year. I have experienced this type of depression in the winter though when traveling from San Diego to Germany/Norway during the winter months because of the lack of sun and cloudy/overcast days.

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My wife Jo-Anne built this. She is very creative as you can see from the Snow Creature

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hey you guys can go to http://flickr.com/people/30239817@N06/ to see more of my pictures.

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Winter in Yellowstone is a dangerious time for wildlife that cannot migrate to a warmer zone. Yellowstone becomes an island for many. Much energy is expended for little nurishment and the constant threat of preditors is always a possibility.

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Even coastal Southern California can have a succession of gloomy days, even when inland areas are experiencing sun.  We get the marine layer which can sock in some locations for weeks on end.  "May gray" and "June gloom" are two of the terms for it.  It can get quite depressing when it lasts for several weeks.  We are fortunate, however, that we can usually just drive a few miles inland to get some sun.  Many people do use special lamps on a regular basis to counteract the gloom whenever it hits.

This photo was taken north of Flagstaff, AZ on Hwy 180 in Jan 2008

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I don't know much about this site yet but hope to learn more in the future and hopefully contribute more photos.

hy, see more on http://www.flickr.com/photos/8810265@N08/

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see more of my photos on http://www.flickr.com/photos/8810265@N08/

I'm glad you found my photos useful. There´s more on http://flickr.com/kurakensama

Cheers.

I was driving down to Bloomington, IL to pick up my son from a visit with his mom, it was snowing most of the trip and I stopped frequently to shoot some winter farm scenes.
-Bill Hamilton

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This hardy snow shoveller figured that all he required to keep warm at minus 10 celsius was a tuque, down jacket and a pair of Canadian Tire mitts.

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My Picture shows the sun on a mystic and cold December-Day in 2007. I shot it in Dortmund (Germany).

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This picture was taken in February of 2008. It is of the mountain range that separates St. George, Ut from Cedar City, Ut.

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I grew up in northwestern Canada then lived in Southern Ontario for 20 years and have always been sensitive to seasonal light changes. I've now lived in Texas for six years and still notice mood and energy lows during January and February. Surprisingly, it's not just a Northern thing. The article and comments here with specific advice for SAD sufferers are excellent: ultraviolet light treatments, diet, exchanging experiences, etc.

In response to Roxiibebe's comment about escaping the Winter Blues with creativity, activity, and support from loved ones: Certainly the power of positive thinking goes a long way, and those recommendations do help one cope when one is capable. Creativity can be the saving grace of continual efforts to overcome the confusion and pain of emotional distress. However, if the issue of any type of 'The Blues' is due to any degree of brain chemistry, no amount of positive reinforcement can sway brain chemicals to "Lighten up, Be happy, or Get over it". It's the most important thing I personally want non-sufferers of SAD or any other mental/emotional illness to know and remember. Attempting motivation to reach out requires energy that is simply not accessible sometimes.

Overcoming the energy of depression due to anything is a very complicated matter that cannot be written off so easily with logic. Those in crisis already tend to doubt their own condition, and the causes go so much deeper than reason. Hormones and brain chemicals rule our being, and emotions speak a language all their own. Those who have experienced any debilitating illness, physical or mental/emotional know that sometimes endurance is the only order of the day, the hour, the minute...or the second. 

Depression due to SAD or any other cause can be paralyzing. Would anyone even consider commanding a physically paralyzed person to get up and walk? Assuredly, when windows do open that would enable the energy it takes to actually do something -anything - most people with SAD or other illness will pounce upon any opportunity. Support from loved ones may or may not be there for some folks.

The trickiest, most misunderstood part about any mental/emotional illness is that there are times when there is no choice but to let go of fighting something that is not yet ready to change, when the only recourse is to just be however you are; allow the emotions to be what they are. Acting is not always possible, or always the answer. Harsh judgments originating internally or externally are the cause of many suicides. There truly is a time for everything, and sometimes fighting increases the intensity of an unchangeable, yet temporary, situation. 

As a person who is thoroughly empathetic to all the extremes of high and low, I know the need to understand and overcome mental/emotional illness. When we are "down", the goal to achieve the luxury of emotional health and well-being transcends desires to obtain anything else, let alone participate in the minutiae of daily activities. The most difficult thing a human being can do is to transform lower emotions into optimistic actions. 

During feelings of isolation that occur due to SAD or other sources, when I'm grasping for anything that offers hope or a way out, I discover that the solutions are an internal, personal matter, hormonal and otherwise that have little to do with external influences. Dietary changes, physical activity and positive thinking, they absolutely help. Medication is a savior for some, and if you start any sort of program you will know almost immediately if you should take it or not. The answers are different for each of us as we each take responsibility for our own healing, listening to others and at the same time trusting our own inner wisdom.

Winter is coming, and the feelings of isolation and emptiness may be imminent, but take note of the seasonal changes that occur in plants, animals, birds and other creatures; longer periods of light during springtime generate a resurgence of energy everywhere. Are we so different, living on the same planet, affected by the same basic physics? One theory is that SAD is the humans' manifestation of the same hormones that govern all of nature's need for rest or hibernation during winter or cold seasons, but in humans there are infinite degrees of intensity because of our evolved self-awareness and individual circumstances. In that sense it should seem obvious that we are not alone at all; we are just starting to observe and discover our most subtle inner nature. All the other creatures already know it and live by it, but they don't question it.

Freezing morning overlooking the town of Loanhead on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Dieses Foto ist aufgenommen im Jahr 1996 im Voigtland in Deutschland.

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It is certainly true and its happening all around us!

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you can never tell.

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