I see the Yahoo team is discussing SAD Today. They left out an important part LIGHT THERAPY. A couple of my recent blogs have mentioned this, and my struggle with it. The very acronym ,SAD I feel, trivializes the condition. If it was called, say, Midwinter Psychosis or something like that it might carry some weight. But then maybe people wouldn't be so quick to ask themselves if they might have it. Yahoo's little blog was okay for making people aware, but ended without the slightest mention of the most effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder and that is a LIGHT.

Yahoo's blog ended with a poll asking two questions, I feel sad in winter , or I like winter. You guys it's really not that simple!!! I LIKED winter my whole life, and I live in Minnesota. What I experienced was way worse that being "snappy" to coworkers or eating more carbs. It negatively impacted my entire life until 1996, remember that winter? Eleven years ago about this time of year the temperature hit 44 degrees below zero , ACTUAL air temp, not wind chill. Back then there would have been snow cover and cold temps since November, not the mild novembers and Decembers that we have had lately. Minnesota is way north in Latitude, and although we don't get actual darkness for 24 hours, we get down to nine hours or so of daylight. The sun sets at 5 pm in the middle of winter.It starts getting dark at 3pm.Well that harsh winter, combined with the fact that I no longer self medicated with Acohol, and posibly too that I had just turned 40, put me in a deep depression. My marriage was hanging by a thread, and I had a five year old daughter at the time, who I was home with by myself most of the time. I saw a TV news spot about light therapy, and asked one of my psychologist buddies about it. He got me some books, I recognized myself immediately! This had been going on my WHOLE LIFE! I look back now on a decade since I got my light and started my morning routines here by my light. A couple of other spontaneous miracles happened at the same time .....

My Step daughter lent me a book called The Artist's Way. Since I now sat by a light every morning . I went throught the twelve week course outlined in the book, and again my life was profoundly impacted. I quit smoking that same time . I see it now as a huge turning point in my life that started me on a path, and in a way prepared me for what I had to deal with in the nineties........okay that's MY story, I am not a professional anything, I was lucky to have a friend that was a mental health professional.

This affects people , of course, it's different for everybody, from very mild crankiness and lack of energy or increased appetite, to full blown depression and suicidal thoughts. not to mention the trouble people get into with alcohol and drugs when they try to self medicate.

What every article about SAD needs , and what most leave out, is that there is a simple drug free way to alleviate this problem.

I use an intense full spectrum light every morning. I call it my electric prozac. You can spend twenty minutes to an hour depending on how close you sit. It's been ten years now, and the changes in my life have been profound! The bulbs need changing every couple of years, and that's it!

If you even think you might be prone to this type of depression look into a light. You can probably do a search on SAD and many suppliers will show up. They make these lights portable these days(my light is the size of a thick briefcase. ) so you can take them anywhere . Some insurance companies recognize light therapy.

Of course other activities can also help the winter blues, like getting exercise outdoors, eating well, etc. but if you can't even get off the couch, it's hard to do those things. I might have been repeating myself here, but I feel this message is sooooo important!!! Many doctors and Psychologists have worked on this there are several good books out on the subject. There is help out there, and you don't have to move to a sunnier climate to get it! Light therapy may or may not replace any anti depressants you may be on.... Please see your doctoror mental health professional if you are feeling these symptoms, or if you want to try light therapy. D