Seasonal Affective Disorder and Light Therapy News Archive
Here you will find the latest news stories that are relevant to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Light Therapy, SAD Lamps, Dawn Simulators and any and other associated articles with the winter blues that we think you might be interested in.
We aim to provide our customers not just the right products for them but also the knowledge to make the correct decisions. As a a result SAD.co.uk is quickly becoming the largest high quality reference point for Seasonal Affective Disorder on the internet.
With a mixture of topical, comical and educational articles we are sure you will find this section interesting reading whether you are a sufferer of SAD or not. We have obtained our articles form a wide variety of sources and have left the content uneditted and therefore unbiased to help you research Seasonal Affective Disorder and understand different opinions and perceptions of SAD not just in the UK but anywhere we feel there is an article that might interest you.
Please take your time to read browse these articles and we hope you enjoy.
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Why sunshine is good for you - August 2008
seasonal affective disorder sun SAD
Who doesn't feel better when the sun shines? This is because sunlight stimulates the pineal gland in the brain which produces certain chemicals known as tryptamines which improve our mood. This is why the arrival of spring brings relief to thousands from seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. The is caused by low levels of serotonin production when people are deprived of sunlight in the cold, dark winter months.
MSN Lifestyle - By Ross Chainey, Health & Wellbeing Editor
Summer is here at last! And it looks set to stay until the weekend. Expect the beaches to be packed with thousands of day-trippers and take to the glorious countryside to make the most of the fine weather.
Hurrah the sun has finally come out! And those clever folks at the MET office are predicting that this weekend will be a real scorcher. Britons will no doubt therefore be stocking up on barbecues, booze, food and, of course, sun cream.
And while you should always make sure your skin is protected from excess sunshine which can lead to cancer, experts also believe that the right mixture of sunscreen and exposure to sunlight is actually good for us.
For example, scientists at the University of Edinburgh think sunlight could help prevent diseases such as cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. They claim that wearing sunscreen all the time starves the body of vitamin D, a nutrient absorbed by the skin from sunlight that is thought to protect us from various conditions.
Vitamin D is in fact thought to protect us from more than 25 chronic diseases and keeps bones and teeth healthy. It is also believed to promote a healthy immune system and regulates cell growth which can be a key factor in the development of cancer. However, around 60% of the population have insufficient levels of vitamin D in their blood. One of the easiest ways to redress this imbalance is to expose your skin to sunlight. It is worth noting, however, that just ten minutes of daily exposure to sunlight is enough to give us the vitamin D we need, so overdoing it in the sun is never a good idea.
Professor Mary Norval, who led the team from the University of Edinburgh Medical School, said: "Vitamin D is now implicated in the prevention of an increasing number of non-skeletal disorders. These include internal cancers, such as colon, breast, prostate and ovarian cancers and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and insulin-dependant diabetes.
"Sunscreens shield the body from the type of UV light needed to make vitamin D, so covering any exposed skin with sunscreen at all times is not advisable. Despite the distinct possibility that the ozone layer will repair itself in the coming decades, the take home message from the research so far is that we should strike a balance between the positive effects of vitamin D formation and the serious negative effects of too much sun exposure."
Who doesn't feel better when the sun shines? This is because sunlight stimulates the pineal gland in the brain which produces certain chemicals known as tryptamines which improve our mood. This is why the arrival of spring brings relief to thousands from seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. The is caused by low levels of serotonin production when people are deprived of sunlight in the cold, dark winter months.
Skin cancer figures have reached around 65,000 in the UK, and around 7000 Brits annually contract a malignant melanoma which results in 1600 deaths each year. And excess exposure to sunlight not only leads to skin cancer - it also makes you four times more likely to develop cataracts in your eyes, while sunburn can damage your body's DNA and the effectiveness of white blood cells, which fight disease.
Experts advise that you expose your body to the sun gradually until you have developed a base tan and that you should only sunbathe for a maximum of 30 minutes on your first day enjoying the sunshine. You can gradually add extra time as your base tan develops.
After-sun lotion will moisturise your skin and calm any burnt areas, while pale skin should not be exposed to the sun without a strong sun screen being applied first. Finally, make sure your sunglasses offer UVA and UVB protection to protect your eyes from cataracts.
De-Motivation: Blame The Sun - August 2008
Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder Winter
The research examined how the UK workforce feels about working over the summer. The findings showed that 39% of office workers believe Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder, or ‘Summer SAD’, detracts from their motivation to work, while 8% said they are more likely to call in sick during the summer months. Almost 20% said they spend their summer daydreaming out of the window while 7% look for another job.
ZDNet.co.uk - by Christian Harris
We’re all whinging Poms. According to the clipboard brigade, over half of us in the UK suffer from ‘Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder’, which leaves us de-motivated, unhappy and even close to quitting our jobs. To be fair, I would feel like this if I worked for the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).
The research examined how the UK workforce feels about working over the summer. The findings showed that 39% of office workers believe Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder, or ‘Summer SAD’, detracts from their motivation to work, while 8% said they are more likely to call in sick during the summer months. Almost 20% said they spend their summer daydreaming out of the window while 7% look for another job.
What is wrong with you people? Would you rather freeze your booty off on the way to work to get you motivated? It’s all wrong. Now is the best time of the year and you need to get a grip. If the weather really does affect your job, it’s time you moved on because you’re not happy and life is too short. SAD is a type of winter depression which affects people mostly during December, January and February. It has no place in summer. The only biochemical imbalance in your hypothalamus should be caused by alcohol and burnt barbecue food.
Who’s ever heard of ‘Summer blues?’
Life as a teacher is just one long holiday - July 2008
summer seasonal affective disorder
Feeling a bit disheartened? Toying with the idea of another profession? Thought about teaching? Well, according to the Training and Development Agency, you're probably suffering from "summer seasonal affective disorder".
The Guardian Newspaper, UK - by Anthea Lipsett
Feeling a bit disheartened? Toying with the idea of another profession? Thought about teaching? Well, according to the Training and Development Agency, you're probably suffering from "summer seasonal affective disorder".
In a shameless bid to get more people into teaching, the TDA released the findings of a poll of UK workers yesterday.
According to the TDA, which is responsible for training new teachers, more than half of the 1,148 "adults" (age 16 or over) surveyed over a week in June, suffer from summer SAD, which "leaves many de-motivated, unhappy and even close to quitting their jobs".
But not teachers, oh no.
"With 13 weeks holiday a year, teachers are more likely to use the summer period for extended breaks with 1 in 4 (25%) using their time to take long holidays abroad - double the amount of most other professions," the TDA says.
"The summer also presents an opportunity to spend more time with the family for employees in the health and education sectors, with more than 40% using the summer break to spend time with their children compared to around 20% for people in HR, media and marketing."
The TDA's chief executive, Graham Holley, does at least concede that teachers' holidays are well earned. But the release comes across as a shameless attempt to spur "legions of people" into teaching "who could benefit not only from a competitive salary plus the unbeatable rewards of working with children, but also time in the summer months to recharge their batteries away from the work environment". Tempted?
We're not sure what existing teachers will make of it, although we can imagine what some may think. Especially those still labouring away on marking delayed Sats results.
The question is, did the TDA need to bother with this plug for the profession? Despite teachers' dismay over paltry pay, the credit crunch is likely to make more people enlist in teacher training - because it's seen as a safe job. Still, you've got to admire its cheek.
The Renaissance of Light Therapy - June 2008
light therapy winter depression sad
As summer arrives the sun rises earlier, providing us with more hours of daylight. Along with this comes our need to be outside—to garden, exercise, sunbathe, and take trips to the beach. As the days get longer and the nights shorten, the majority of those afflicted with seasonal affective disorder (SAD)—sometimes called winter depression—see their symptoms simply go away. It's a reminder of the powerful role sun and light play in our health.
Contract Magazine - By Tama Duffy Day
As summer arrives the sun rises earlier, providing us with more hours of daylight. Along with this comes our need to be outside—to garden, exercise, sunbathe, and take trips to the beach. As the days get longer and the nights shorten, the majority of those afflicted with seasonal affective disorder (SAD)—sometimes called winter depression—see their symptoms simply go away. It's a reminder of the powerful role sun and light play in our health.
Even while we lather on lotions with sun-protecting factors in the 50s, we are affected and nourished by light. We need sunlight and its rays to directly provide us Vitamin D, to stimulate our pituitary glands and pineal glands, and to activate the circadian rhythms that in turn activate the generation of the hormone melatonin at night.
This knowledge is not new. An entire light therapy field dates back to the 1800s B.C. in India and Tibet, where exposing the body to sunlight was the method of treating disease. Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle developed theories about light and healing dating back to 500 B.C. The Ancient Greeks practiced heliotherapy, medical therapy by exposure to light, and were the first to document both the theory and practice of solar therapy. In Heliopolis, the Greek city of the sun, healing temples were constructed to disseminate sunlight into spectral components to then treat individual medical ailments according to color. For the Greeks, color was a manifestation of light, and therefore both therapeutic and divine in meaning, and variations of heliotherapy developed over time to incorporate manmade lighting and a diverse array of treatment solutions.
In connecting light, color and form to healing, the Greeks produced geometric shapes to articulate the spaces and proportions in creation. Plato visualized the world as being composed of basic elements, each represented by a particular shape. Dubbed the Platonic Solids and also known as "The Golden Mean," Plato's five shapes are a version of the Sacred Geometry and represent a blueprint for all cell structures in the body of humans, animals, plants, and minerals.
Based on triangles, each Platonic Solid is associated with an element, a color, a sense and a species. The Tetrahedron is associated with fire, man, sight, and the color red. The Hexahedron (or cube) is associated with earth, the mammal, smell, and the color green. The Octahedron is associated with air, the bird, sound, and the color yellow. The Icosahedron is associated with water, the reptile, taste, and the color blue. The Dodecahedron is associated with ether, spirit, touch, and the color violet. In addition, the Dodecahedron creates a pentagram, the five-sided figure, and around the “five points of the star were placed the letters of the greek word for health, (h y g e i a), from which we get the word 'hygiene.'"
Today, we continue this investigation into the connection between light, color and form and healing. Light therapy, or “light medicine,” as described by Joseph Liberman, is being utilized in numerous modalities. Dentists shine beams of visible light on new light-curing filling materials, eliminating the use of toxic silver fillings. Bacterially infected blood is cleaned through the use of water-cooled UV lamps with the FDA approving the use of blood irradiation for the treatment of infectious diseases in 120 clinics. During the last century red light was found to prevent scar formation in cases of smallpox, and startling cures were later reported among tuberculosis patients exposed to sunlight and ultra-violet rays. It’s no surprise that age-eradicating techniques are also integrating light and light therapy treatments. What's more, some of the most gifted architects and designers also are utilizing light, shape, and form to create memorable and life affirming spaces that both support and contribute to health and healing.
In March of this year lighting designers, scientists, researchers, and California policymakers gathered for two days in California to discuss the topic of light and health. One of the goals of the gathering was to provide opportunities for the interdisciplinary exchange on light’s impact on human health. Presenters included representatives from neurology, photobiology, biochemistry, ophthalmology, immunology, psychology, gerontology, pediatrics, public health, energy policy, building design, and lighting technology. Light medicine has once again moved from the realm of speculation to scientific findings, and the significance of these findings for designing healthcare environments is powerful. What better time to provide solutions allowing innovative design to play a large meaningful role in the success of healing in the future?
Tama Duffy Day, FASID, IIDA, LEED AP, is a principal at Perkins+Will, an international architectural and interior design firm. She is the national interior design healthcare practice leader, formulating research and design initiatives throughout the firm’s 19 offices. She can be reached at DCResearch@perkinswill.com.
Data and content for this article was developed from the following sources:
Breiling, B.J. and Hartley, L. (1996). Light Years Ahead: The Illustrated Guide to Full Spectrum and Colored Light in Mindbody Healing. California: Celestial Arts.
Coghill, R. (2000). The Healing Energies of Light. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing.
Gimbel, T. (1994). Healing with Color and Light: Improve your Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health. New York: Fireside (Simon & Schuster Inc.)
Graham, H. (1990). Time, Energy and the Psychology of Healing. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.
Liberman, J. (1991). Light – Medicine of the Future: How we can Use it to Heal Ourselves Now. Santa Fe, NM: Bear & Company, Inc.
Wellman, T. (2003, Jun/Jul). Heliotherapy: Let the Sunshine In! Total Health, 25(3), 40-41.
http://www.mayoclinic.com
It’s alright: here comes the sun - May 2008
seratonin sunshine SAD
WHEN sunshine floods into your eyes, a series of reactions between retina and brain produces serotonin. "It is the happy hormone," says Dr Amanda Ellison, lecturer in the department of psychology at Durham University. "If you have an increase in light, you have an increase in serotonin." Serotonin boosts moods, relieves stress and eases depression. So, when the sunshine makes your walk to work that bit better, that's the serotonin kicking in
The Northern Echo - by Owen Amos - May 2008
It’s alright: here comes the sun
The region has just basked in its longest sunny spell since 2006. But why does sunshine make life feel better?
Owen Amos speaks to experts to find out
I need to laugh and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about
I feel good in a special way
I'm in love and it's a sunny day. Good Day Sunshine, The Beatles SUNSHINE - marvellous, isn't it?
The sky is blue, trees are green and blossom is pink. People eat ice cream, smile and are glad to be alive. If only young men could keep their shirts on.
But why does sun make us feel good? Why do we rush to the garden, or the beach, when the sun emerges? Is it psychological, chemical, or both? Or does it date back to our days of caves without radiators, when sunshine meant one fewer bearskin and one fewer night without the fear of freezing to death?
HAPPY HORMONES
WHEN sunshine floods into your eyes, a series of reactions between retina and brain produces serotonin. "It is the happy hormone," says Dr Amanda Ellison, lecturer in the department of psychology at Durham University. "If you have an increase in light, you have an increase in serotonin." Serotonin boosts moods, relieves stress and eases depression. So, when the sunshine makes your walk to work that bit better, that's the serotonin kicking in.
As a result, it's thought a lack of sun, and subsequently a lack of serotonin, can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder - the condition that causes depression through winter months. "The brain is getting fooled into thinking it's time to hibernate," says Dr Ellison. "One of the treatments is to administer serotonin, for example, through banks of lights."
Dr John Canning, Middlesbrough GP, says fewer people enter his surgery in summer than in winter, although the difference is not as great as 20 years ago.
"More people are on holiday in summer, there are fewer coughs and sneezes," he says. "Good weather tends to make people feel better and they have better things to do than going to the doctor's."
THE WONDER VITAMIN
WE need vitamin D. And, as it's hard to find in food, we get 90 per cent of it through sunshine - the skin produces vitamin D from ultra violet rays.
The benefits of vitamin D are huge. For a start, it's vital in absorbing calcium, which make our bones - and plenty else. "We have a lot of uses for calcium, it's not just bones," says Dr Ellison. "Our muscles need it, our nerves need it. It's more important for more things than people realise."
Ultra violet light is the main cause of malignant melanoma - the worst form of skin cancer. However, recent research has shown vitamin D can also fight the disease - meaning sunshine can prevent, as well as cause, cancer. "Vitamin D is now implicated in the prevention of an increasing number of disorders," says Prof Mary Norval, from the University of Edinburgh, who studied the effects of sunshine. "These include internal cancers, such as colon, breast, prostate and ovarian cancers. Sunscreens shield the body from the type of UV light needed to make vitamin D, so covering any exposed skin with sunscreen at all times is not advisable." Just ten minutes of sun a day can provide enough vitamin D.
And, when your body is well, your mind will be too. "There is a big link between how your body feels and how your mind feels," says Dr Ellison. "If you don't feel right, you get tired - your body is trying to figure out what's going wrong."
Last year, Muslim women in the UK were warned that wearing the hijab could cause poor health for them and their babies, as covering up causes vitamin D deficiency. A Government spokesman said: "We are not interfering in a Muslim woman's right to wear the hijab, but we are stressing that we all need sunlight on our skins."
Dr Canning says a balance is needed. "I have seen somebody this morning with an early skin cancer, almost certainly caused by sun exposure," he says. "But we wouldn't want people to sit indoors all day, as that would cause a separate set of problems. The danger is sun burn, and going red, rather than sun exposure."
Vitamin D can also make women look younger, according to research. Last year, a King's College London study of more than 2,000 women found those with higher vitamin D levels showed fewer signs of ageing.
THAT GOLDEN TAN
A SUNNY weekend means a golden tan - or burnt face - to impress your colleagues on Monday morning. Why - on the off chance anyone notices - do tans make us more self-confident and attractive?
Fair skin was trendy up to Victorian times - women even used arsenic to lighten their faces. However, from the 1920s, celebrities such as Coco Chanel, started burning their skin, starting the tanning craze. Where tans were linked to farmhands, and low-skilled, manual labour, they are now linked to health and jet-set wealth.
"For most of the last 500 years, a tan was considered the mark of a hard-working person who toiled outside," Dr Nina Jablonski, author of Skin: A Natural History, told the New York Times. "A tan was eschewed by people who considered themselves upper class. It went from being a thing that working people got by the sweat of their brows, to being associated with a glamorous, luxurious lifestyle. It is one of the most deeply ingrained images in American advertising."
Bear in mind, though, that in Japan and India, for example, women spend millions of pounds on bleaching their faces, to achieve a whiter look. Seems like no one's happy.
THE CAVEMAN THEORY
THE Northern Echo's anthropology team (led by Prof Owen Amos) thinks sunshine feels good because it takes us to our prehistoric past. Sun meant better hunting conditions, a warmer cave and less chance of freezing to death.
Fast forward 50,000 years and our primeval DNA kicks in, making us happy when it's hot. Interesting theory or uninformed nonsense?
"My guess would be that's quite high on the nonsense spectrum," says Dr Russell Hill, reader in evolutionary anthropology at Durham University. "I think there's more of a medical explanation."
Oh well. There's my anthropology career gone.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D) - added May 2008
What is S.A.D? Seasonal affective disorder
What is S.A.D? Seasonal affective disorder, appropriately referred to by the acronym S.A.D, is a form of depression that occurs only during certain periods of the year. In some cases, an existing depression may become more severe during certain times of year. By far the most common and recognized form of seasonal affective disorder is winter depression.
Environmental Illness Resource - added May 2008
Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D)
What is S.A.D?
Seasonal affective disorder, appropriately referred to by the acronym "S.A.D", is a form of depression that occurs only during certain periods of the year. In some cases, an existing depression may become more severe during certain times of year. By far the most common and recognized form of seasonal affective disorder is "winter depression". This is characterized by recurrent episodes of depressed mood, over-sleeping or the urge to "hibernate", cravings for carbohydrate rich foods, and associated overeating and weight gain. Symptoms typically begin to appear in September and don't abate until spring comes around at the end of March or beginning of April. Since winter depression is the most common form of seasonal affective disorder and the type that almost everyone is familiar with, we will be concentrating on this and for simplicity will refer to it as SAD.
Like all forms of depressive illness, SAD can vary greatly in severity and can be a severely debilitating condition. Many sufferers can be perfectly healthy during the spring and summer months but unable to function during the winter. This leads to obvious problems with work and family life.
It is estimated that SAD affects 4-6% of the general population with a further 10-20% experiencing mild symptoms that don't meet the requirements for an official SAD diagnosis. The incidence is thought to be much higher than this in environmental illness sufferers, such as those with chronic fatigue syndrome. A study published in 1998 involving 110 CFS patients found that a large proportion had depressive symptoms, and that these, and the typical CFS symptoms not associated with depression, worsened during the winter months. The researchers concluded that SAD was present in a large subset of chronic fatigue syndrome patients and that CFS and SAD may share common causes. They suggest light therapy (one of the main treatment options for SAD) as an appropriate therapy for CFS patients who show seasonal changes in symptoms(1).
Women suffering from SAD outnumber men by 4 to 1 (2) and the risk of been affected by SAD appears to decrease with age (3). Of course this is if you are otherwise healthy. Suffering from environmental illness would appear to increase the risk of also suffering from SAD at any age.
A number of studies have found that the risk for SAD is greater the further north a person lives, although the evidence is not conclusive with other studies finding no significant connection between latitude and the number of people suffering from SAD. A major review of SAD research carried out in 1999 found that in both North America and Europe, there are more cases of SAD the further north you go. However, it was also found that North America has twice as many cases of SAD than does Europe, so other factors must also play a role (4).
Diagnosing S.A.D
The criteria for diagnosing all psychiatric conditions are laid out in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). The manual describes SAD as a "specifier" for major depressive illness rather than as a separate mood disorder. This means that SAD is seen not as a condition in its own right but as a subset of major depressive or bipolar disorders. It should be noted that SAD is much more common as a form of major depression rather than bipolar disorder. Never the less, seasonal variations in symptoms do occur in those suffering from bipolar disorder.
Considering the above it would make sense to first look at the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder.
Making The Diagnosis of Major Depression
The DSM-IV states that "At least five of the following symptoms have been present during the same two-week period, nearly every day, and represent a change from previous functioning. At least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure."
The symptoms being:
Depressed mood (or alternatively can be irritable mood in children and adolescents).
Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities.
Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain or decrease or increase in appetite.
Insomnia or hypersomnia.
Psychomotor agitation or retardation.
Fatigue or loss of energy.
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt.
Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness.
Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
As well as the symptom requirements, other diagnoses must be ruled out before major depression can be diagnosed. This is clarified in the following statements:
"The symptoms are not better accounted for by a mood disorder due to a general medical condition, a substance-induced mood disorder, or bereavement (normal reaction to the death of a loved one)."
And:
"The symptoms are not better accounted for by a psychotic disorder like schizoaffective disorder."
Making The Diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder
In addition to meeting the requirements for major depressive disorder (or bipolar disorder), the following must be true for a diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder to be made:
Regular temporal relationship between the onset of major depressive episodes and a particular time of the year (unrelated to obvious season-related psychosocial stressors.
Full remissions (or a change from depression to mania or hypomania) also occur at a characteristic time of the year.
Two major depressive episodes meeting criteria A and B in last two years and no nonseasonal episodes in the same period.
Seasonal major depressive episodes substantially outnumber the nonseasonal episodes over the individual's lifetime.
If all these criteria apply to you then you will be diagnosed as having SAD. Of course, as we have already mentioned, a large section of the population is affected by low mood and other symptoms during the winter months and may suffer from a mild version of SAD that doesn't meet the official diagnostic criteria.
What Causes SAD?
The cause or causes of SAD are not as clear cut as it may seem. Although it would appear to be a direct result of lack of sunlight in winter months, the exact mechanism by which this causes depressive symptoms has yet to be determined. There are of course a few leading theories that at least partially explain what is going on in patients suffering from SAD.
Disruption of Circadian Rhythms
One major theory for explaining SAD involves the circadian rhythms of the body. The term "circadian rhythm" describes the fact that bodily functions seem to follow a set pattern throughout the day as if the body is working to a set schedule or internal clock. It's thought that in SAD this internal clock is disrupted, leading to various biochemical abnormalities and associated symptoms. According to this theory, sunlight acts as a type of synchronizer of the circadian rhythms in humans, and exposure to light can shift these rhythms out of phase. What this means is that the SAD sufferers body may be producing hormones (such as cortisol) and neurotransmitters that promote wakefulness well into the early hours of the morning and then still be producing sleep inducing chemicals such as melatonin until midday. This results in the unlucky sufferer not being able to sleep until past midnight and then not being able to drag themselves out of bed until late morning or later, which is a common situation. It has been found that the timing of light exposure, rather than the amount of light exposure, may have the greatest influence over circadian rhythms, and hence SAD symptoms (5).
To further explain the enormous effect light exposure has on the physiology and functioning of the body, we need to take a closer look at the hormone melatonin. As light levels decrease in the evening, the pineal gland begins producing melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone whose main function is to induce sleep by traveling through the bloodstream and transmitting the sleep message to other body systems. In healthy individuals the secretion of melatonin peaks in the middle of the night during our deepest sleep. At dawn, sunlight shining into the eye triggers the pineal gland to switch off the production of melatonin, thus removing the desire to sleep. Since melatonin travels to all parts of the body in the blood, it has far-reaching effects, as all hormones do. During the hours of darkness and sleep, melatonin influences the secretion of hormones from the pituitary gland, often referred to as the "master gland" of the endocrine system. The pituitary then reduces hormone production from other important endocrine glands such as the thyroid and adrenals. These glands produce vital hormones such as thyroid hormone, cortisol, and adrenaline, which control metabolism and motivate us to action during our waking hours.
Researchers have found that this system is disrupted in people with SAD. When SAD patients were compared with healthy controls, it was found that the SAD patients had consistently higher daytime melatonin levels during the winter months (6). High daytime melatonin levels would be expected to produce the symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness and the lack of motivation and desire to hibernate, that is seen in SAD sufferers. Other research has shown that taking melatonin supplements, which are available over-the-counter in the US, effectively "phase-shifts" the disrupted circadian rhythms (7). What this means is that if you have SAD and you tend to get to sleep past midnight and wake well into the morning or midday, if you take melatonin at say 9-10pm to induce sleep, your sleep cycle will be shifted back to normal and you will be able to wake earlier in the morning.
Serotonergic Dysfunction
Another major theory explaining SAD involves disruption to the way the neurotransmitter serotonin works. Serotonin is an extremely important chemical messenger in the brain and its function has a major impact on mood. Low serotonin function is thought to result in a type of depression characterized by symptoms such as feelings of sadness, worthlessness, guilt, and suicidal thoughts.
The hypothesis regarding serotonergic dysfunction is based on the findings that serotonin levels vary significantly in normal humans across seasons with lowest levels in the winter months. The research that found high daytime levels of melatonin in SAD patients, also found that the serotonin levels of everybody tested, even the healthy volunteers, were lower in winter than in summer (6). The serotonergic dysfunction theory of SAD states, based on research findings, that the receptors on brain cells that are stimulated by serotonin are not functioning correctly, resulting in abnormal neuroendocrine responses and the symptoms experienced in SAD (2).
Serotonin production is also intimately connected with the "sleep" hormone melatonin whose levels we have already seen are abnormal in SAD. In fact, serotonin is actually converted into melatonin. This happens as light levels fall in the evening and the pineal gland signals for melatonin production to increase. In simplistic terms the actions of serotonin and melatonin are opposing with serotonin stimulating us during the daytime and melatonin inducing sleep at night. In SAD, we know that melatonin levels are higher than normal during the day, so sufferers experience sleepiness and other melatonin induced effects, and are also prone to serotonin deficiency symptoms such as negative emotional states.
As a result of the close relationship between serotonin and melatonin, the circadian rhythm and serotonergic dysfunction theories should probably be seen as complementary to each other rather than as totally distinct explanations for SAD.
Genetics
An interesting area of SAD research has focused on genetics and how SAD affects families and populations both within countries and internationally. The issue of how susceptible different ethnic groups are to suffering from SAD has also been looked at.
One particular gene known as 5-HTTLPR has received a lot of attention from researchers as it has been found to be expressed differently in SAD patients (8). The 5-HTTLPR gene is involved with the function of serotonin (5-HT). Researchers have been careful to explain that this gene may not be the root cause of SAD but is certainly involved in the disease process and the production of symptoms. Other research has implicated the 5-HT2A gene, which is also involved with serotonin function. This gene they say is associated with the depressive symptoms of SAD but does not explain the seasonality of the disorder (9). Many of the genetic studies looking at particular genes have also looked patients families and found that, as with most mental illness, there is often a family history of mental health problems.
Intriguing facts have been discovered when researchers have looked at SAD in different populations. The general consensus appears to be that the further north you go (in the northern hemisphere), the greater the number of people there are suffering from SAD. As mentioned in the introduction, a major review of SAD research found that in both North America and Europe, there are more cases of SAD the further north you go. However, it was also found that North America has twice as many cases of SAD than does Europe (4). What this suggests is that the lower light levels at more northerly latitudes are indeed an important risk factor for SAD, but are not the only factor. Perhaps the higher incidence of SAD in North America can be attributed to greater racial diversity than is present in Europe or to other cultural and social factors.
Another piece of evidence suggesting a genetic predisposition to SAD comes from a study conducted at Columbia University, NY, in 2002. This study of 165 SAD patients found differences in symptoms experienced by sufferers of different races, and also the intriguing result that blue eyed people suffered less severe symptoms than those with darker eyes. The researchers stated that "lightly pigmented eyes, in particular, may serve to enhance photic input during winter and allay depressive symptoms in vulnerable populations" (10). Essentially, lighter eye colour allows more light to enter the eye and thus reduce susceptibility to SAD during the dark winter months.
These research findings lend some weight to the assumption that millions of years of evolution and adaptation to the environment have optimized human biochemical and physiological systems for living in equatorial conditions, where light is plentiful and of even intensity throughout the year. Humanity began its migration out of Africa only about 150,000 years ago. This relatively short evolutionary time-span may not have provided enough time for us to fully adapt to conditions in the more northerly areas of the globe that hundreds of millions of us now inhabit (11).
In Conclusion
Although the exact mechanisms by which SAD occurs are not yet clear, the information presented in the theories above provides us with a basic understanding of the factors that contribute to the condition, and help direct treatment approaches (bright light therapy, antidepressants, nutrients, getting outside in the sun etc). It is likely that factors from all the theories discussed are involved with the illness. Further research should fill in the blanks in the coming years.
SAD in Environmental Illnesses
SAD itself could be described as an environmental illness, since lack of sunlight appears to be one of the most important factor in its development. Here however, we'll take a look at the relationship of SAD to the main environmental illnesses we focus on at The Environmental Illness Resource.
SAD appears to be common amongst chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia sufferers. Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, a CFS and fibromyalgia specialist, and author of best selling book 'From Fatigued to Fantastic', addresses the issue of SAD with his patients. Dr. Teitelbaum recommends using a 10,000 lux lightbox for 30-45 minutes every morning if his patients symptoms get worse during winter. He is the only physician to have had the effectiveness of his CFS and fibromyalgia treatment protocol proven by clinical studies (of the kind used to test effectiveness of new pharmaceutical drugs). Dr. Teitelbaum is not the only doctor treating CFS and fibromyalgia patients for SAD, it is common amongst environmentally aware physicians.
The instincts of Dr. Teitelbaum and others is backed up by research that we looked at earlier. If you recall, a study published in 1998 involving 110 CFS patients found that a large proportion had depressive symptoms, and that these, and the typical CFS symptoms not associated with depression, worsened during the winter months (1). Like Dr. Teitelbaum the researchers recommend bright light therapy to improve symptoms of both CFS and SAD during the winter months.
The results from a research study published in 2000 also found a link between multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and SAD. Two hundred and twenty-five subjects, including normal volunteers and patients with previously documented seasonal affective disorder (SAD), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Cushing's syndrome, Addison's disease and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), completed questionnaires describing their reactions to exposures to various chemicals. Patients with CFS, Addison's disease and SAD self-reported more sensitivity to chemical exposures than normal controls (12). The researchers suggest that these illnesses are linked to chemical sensitivity through the HPA-axis, the body's stress control system, as it is known to be dysfunctional in all of these conditions.
Anecdotal reports also suggest a link between SAD and MCS, and the author has also experienced this. It is often the case that people suffering from MCS also have problems with SAD. The interesting thing is that not only do SAD symptoms abate during the summer but the severity of their MCS symptoms also decreases. They may be able to tolerate larger amounts of chemicals, or reactions on exposure are less severe or prolonged, or both. This all suggests that serotonin is involved with both conditions. We've discussed serotonin's role in SAD, but it could also be involved in chemical sensitivity. A leading theory for MCS involves over-sensitivity of the limbic system in the brain. The limbic system is intimately involved with mood and emotions, and has high levels of serotonin. We could therefore hypothesize that disruption of serotonin function could result in both SAD and multiple chemical sensitivity.
Gut dysbiosis may also be connected to SAD by way of serotonin function. Serotonin is produced from the amino acid tryptophan which we get from protein foods. Unfortunately, it is known that if a gut dysbiosis condition is present, the unfriendly microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast can get hold of the tryptophan themselves before we have time to absorb it through our intestines (13). Without sufficient supply of tryptophan, susceptible individuals are likely to become deficient in serotonin, with the result being various forms of depression, including SAD (14).
There has been little research into a connection between autism and SAD but a report published in 1998 described 2 patients with learning disabilities who showed symptoms of SAD and responded to bright light therapy. The authors suggested more research was needed in this area (15).
Seasonal Affective Disorder - References
1. Am J Med. 1998 Sep 28;105(3A):115S-124S. Chronic fatigue syndrome and seasonal affective disorder: comorbidity, diagnostic overlap, and implications for treatment.Terman M, Levine SM, Terman JS, Doherty S.
Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York 10032, USA.
2. Lancet. 1998 Oct 24;352(9137):1369-74. Seasonal affective disorder.Partonen T, Lonnqvist J.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, National Public Health Institute, Finland. timo.partonen@ktl.fi
3. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2000 Mar;101(3):176-84. An overview of epidemiological studies on seasonal affective disorder.Magnusson A. Department of Psychiatry, Ulleval Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
4. J Affect Disord. 1999 Apr;53(1):35-48. Seasonal affective disorder and latitude: a review of the literature.Mersch PP, Middendorp HM, Bouhuys AL, Beersma DG, van den Hoofdakker RH. Department of Biological Psychiatry, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
5. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience 2000;25: 469-481. Pathophysiology of seasonal affective disorder: a review. Lam RW.
6. 1: Arctic Med Res. 1994 Jul;53(3):137-45. Diurnal and seasonal variations of melatonin and serotonin in women with seasonal affective disorder.Danilenko KV, Putilov AA, Russkikh GS, Duffy LK, Ebbesson SO.
Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Medical Science, Novosibirsk.
7. Chronobiol Int. 2006;23(1-2):403-12. Circadian uses of melatonin in humans.Lewy AJ, Emens J, Jackman A, Yuhas K. Sleep and Mood Disorders Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA. lewy@ohsu.edu
8. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2002 Apr;12(2):129-34. Role of family history and 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in female seasonal affective disorder patients with and without premenstrual dysphoric disorder.Praschak-Rieder N, Willeit M, Winkler D, Neumeister A, Hilger E, Zill P, Hornik K, Stastny J, Thierry N, Ackenheil M, Bondy B, Kasper S. Department of General Psychiatry, University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. nicole.praschak-rieder@akh-wien.ac.at
9. Mol Psychiatry. 1999 Jan;4(1):89-92.Association between seasonal affective disorder and the 5-HT2A promoter polymorphism, -1438G/A. Enoch MA, Goldman D, Barnett R, Sher L, Mazzanti CM, Rosenthal NE. Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. maenoch@dicbr.niaaa.nih.gov
10. Depress Anxiety. 2002;15(1):34-41. Depressive symptomatology differentiates subgroups of patients with seasonal affective disorder.Goel N, Terman M, Terman JS. Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. ngoel@wesleyan.edu
11. Med Hypotheses. 2000 May;54(5):704-7. The role of genetic factors in the etiology of seasonality and seasonal affective disorder: an evolutionary approach.Sher L. Rockville, Maryland, USA.
12. Psychiatry Res. 2000 Jul 24;95(1):67-74. Self-reported sensitivity to chemical exposures in five clinical populations and healthy controls.Nawab SS, Miller CS, Dale JK, Greenberg BD, Friedman TC, Chrousos GP, Straus SE, Rosenthal NE. Section on Biological Rhythms, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1390, USA. ssnawab@hotmail.com
13. The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 270, No 19, May 7, 1964, pp. 994-1001. Normal bacterial populations of the intestine and their relation to intestinal function. Robert M. Donaldson, Jr.
14. Biol Psychiatry. 2005 Nov 15;58(10):825-30. Epub 2005 Jul 18. Effects of tryptophan depletion on the serotonin transporter in healthy humans.Praschak-Rieder N, Wilson AA, Hussey D, Carella A, Wei C, Ginovart N, Schwarz MJ, Zach J, Houle S, Meyer JH. Vivian M. Rakoff PET Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
15. J Affect Disord. 1998 Mar;48(2-3):145-8. Seasonal Affective Disorder and response to light in two patients with learning disability.Cooke LB, Thompson C. New Friends Hall, Stapleton, Bristol, UK.
Oh no, not more April blizzards? - April 2008
The thing is, I think I’m beginning to suffer from seasonal affective disorder, the winter depression that affects half a million people every winter.
It’s caused by lack of sunlight and, as I can’t afford to go with Debbie to the Dominican Republic for 16 days, I’ve been trying alternative therapy, such as turning up the central heating to boiling, leaving all the lights on in the house 24 hours a day, wearing sunglasses and papering the front room with holiday brochures of palm trees and sun-kissed beaches.
Apr 21 2008 by Denis Kilcommons, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Oh no, not more April blizzards?
‘Is this one of those post- nuclear apocalypse winters where the sun won’t shine for a decade’. I’M getting fed up with weather. April showers are one thing, April blizzards something else entirely.Where’s all this global warming when you need it?
And there’s not a lot to look forward to in the month ahead.I checked with the BBC long- range forecast and we can expect more rain and showers and poor temperatures and what they euphemistically describe as “unsettled weather” into the middle of May.
“I don’t care,” said Debbie.
“You don’t?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m off to the Dominican Republic for 16 days.”
This is the island where the temperature stays at around 77°F (25°C) all year round and its climate is known as “endless summer”.Sometimes you could just spit.
Me? I’ll be flying off for a few days in Donegal to see my grandsons; but as Donegal is about as far north as Hartlepool I won’t be taking my shorts and flip flops.
The Met Office says we can expect a “typical British summer” this year. “Summer temperatures across the UK are more likely to be warmer than average and rainfall near or above average for the three months of summer,” they say. Three months of summer?
I remember when summer started at the beginning of April and lasted until the end of September. Now we are promised just three months of sunshine and showers after suffering a winter that started two years ago and is lingering endlessly on.
Did someone drop an atom bomb and I didn’t notice? Is this one of those post-nuclear apocalypse winters where the sun won’t shine for a decade, crops will fail and we’ll have to eat our Wellington boots? Then it’s a good job I have two pairs, that’s all I can say.
And you can forget barbecues for the foreseeable future. Remember those happy, long-gone days of hot weather, cold drinks and food gently burning over charcoal? Well no more of those jolly salmonella parties until at least June. And then have an umbrella handy for the occasional monsoon. In fact, why not wheel the barbie into the front room and do it in front of Sky Sports? Save a lot of messing about.
The thing is, I think I’m beginning to suffer from seasonal affective disorder, the winter depression that affects half a million people every winter.
It’s caused by lack of sunlight and, as I can’t afford to go with Debbie to the Dominican Republic for 16 days, I’ve been trying alternative therapy, such as turning up the central heating to boiling, leaving all the lights on in the house 24 hours a day, wearing sunglasses and papering the front room with holiday brochures of palm trees and sun-kissed beaches.
And mind your back, please. I might as well bring the barbecue in as well. Now, is there any cricket from the West Indies on Sky?
Watts In Britain - Sping is coming? - March 2008
Sufferers of Seasonal Affective Disorder should whoop with joy at the prospect of loads more light entering their eyes and counteracting SAD's biochemical imbalance in their hypothalamus. Great, huh? Wanting to know for certain that we're leaving the SAD season
Roundtown news.co.uk Friday, 28 March 2008 - Written by Paul Watts
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow," sang the late great Dean Martin, as he dreamed of cuddling up in a snug nest to ride out the excesses of the harsh North American winter. Over there, they really do have blizzards. My mate Rupert, in Toronto, says that it's not a blizzard, unless that little triangle of wood that you are photographed standing on in the snow, is the top of your roof! With this in mind, the British press's assertion this week that the nation has suffered blizzards is somewhat hedging towards hyperbole. "Worst Winter Since 1963!" shouted one of the red tops. Well, I'm not convinced of that. Maybe RTN readers of a certain age can remember that far-flung winter. It's on the periphery of my memory but I do recall that the snow - proper snow, that lay in the streets and coated the fields - was around for an eternity. I seem to remember that it was still snowing well into April of that year. The stuff we are experiencing here at the moment is nothing on those 1963 levels. Oh yes, I know the northeast had it bad for, er, twenty-four hours; but none of it has lasted. It snowed on me in Birmingham this week - for an hour! The snow lay on the ground for… um, how long was it? Oh yeah, forty-five minutes. So come on editors - enough! The British winter, with its long dark days, is such a good reason for staying in Spain that it hardly needs reiterating; especially if you suffer from debilitating winter blues. But rejoice skammdegisthunglyndi sufferers (as the Icelanders in Alfaz del Pi say) because despite all the winter mania in the UK press, lighter days are a-coming.
Spring should by now really have sprung, coming as it is supposed to, on March 21st. The daffodils and crocuses are out and the trees are starting to bud. Yup, we've finally passed the spring equinox and can start looking forward to longer, lighter evenings. Sufferers of Seasonal Affective Disorder should whoop with joy at the prospect of loads more light entering their eyes and counteracting SAD's biochemical imbalance in their hypothalamus. Great, huh? Wanting to know for certain that we're leaving the SAD season I contacted the SAD Association; based in Steyning in West Sussex. A very nice lady told me concisely that the association is 'a voluntary organisation and registered charity that informs the public and health professions about SAD and supports and advises sufferers.' She said, "We are the world's longest established support organisation for Seasonal Affective Disorder and currently have over 2,000 members." That's all very nice but I wondered how many people regularly contact them. "During an average winter," she reported, "we expect to receive around 1,000 enquiries every week, from all over the world." Well the good news is that already, with spring emerging, those numbers have fallen quite dramatically. She did qualify this by adding that with the current weather conditions in Britain, notably the snow and lack of sunshine, we weren't entirely out of the woods. Still, I'd guess she would be a bit cautious, eh?
Anyway, this weekend (30/03/08) the clocks once again are altered and SAD patients can relish even more daytime. o folks, don't forget to put your clocks ahead by one hour on Sunday morning.
Watts in Brrr..itain, so you don't have to be!
SAD trades at centre of investment storm - March 2008
Co-author of a 2003 paper which suggests Seasonal Affective Disorder (Sad) plays a significant role in determining market returns, he has produced new research that bolsters the original claim.
Guardian, UK - March 29 2008by Proinsas O'Mahon
SAD trades at centre of investment storm
Bad weather may cause some investors to move their money out of equities.
Investors have had a miserable time of late, what with huge losses in the banking sector, a major credit crisis and panic selling triggered by the dodgy bets of a junior futures trader in France. The dark and dreary days have been pretty awful too. Hang on, the weather? What's that got to do with stock markets?
According to Mark Kamstra, a Canadian finance professor, quite a lot.
Co-author of a 2003 paper which suggests Seasonal Affective Disorder (Sad) plays a significant role in determining market returns, he has produced new research that bolsters the original claim.
Using data taken between 1952 and 2004, Kamstra and his fellow researchers found that monthly returns from holding US government bonds peak in October and bottom in April.
With equities, returns peak in April and bottom in October - hence the UK market expression, "sell in May and go away until St Leger Day", referring to the horse race held in mid-September.
"We believe depressed, risk-averse investors move into Treasuries and out of equities with the onset of Sad in the early fall, pushing Treasury prices up and equity prices down. The pattern reverses in the early spring with the recovery of Sad sufferers," says Kamstra.
Sad - or the winter blues, to use a more colloquial expression - is said to affect between 5% and 15% of people. Depression sets in as the days begin to shorten in the autumn, with the vast majority of diagnoses being made in September.
By November, almost everyone who is going to get Sad has done so and has (presumably) sold out of the market, thereby freeing it to bounce in following months, says Kamstra.
Studies have found that clinical remission of Sad peaks in April, paving the way for the summer doldrums to set in to markets.
But not everyone is convinced. Coincidence rather than causation, sceptics say.
The authors investigated a myriad of macroeconomic factors and other potential explanations but say that none can explain the seasonality as well as the Sad theory.
While it is "very difficult to establish causation beyond a reasonable doubt", Kamstra says they found "overwhelming evidence to suggest the Sad effect is not random coincidence" and that "there really is no alternative that is plausible".
He notes the findings are "all the more remarkable given expert traders dominate the Treasury market".
While the latest paper looks at US data, it appears British investors are no different. The original paper examined nine markets from around the globe, including the FTSE. It found markets in higher-latitude countries "show more pronounced Sad effects".
Kamstra hopes to get funding from grant agencies to conduct "expensive individuals-based experiments" and to ask people about their investment behaviour at different stages of the year.
"With Sad affecting such a large percentage of the population, its impact on financial markets is certainly a very important area for consideration," he says, adding he is optimistic further evidence will be unearthed.
"It is really fascinating stuff and an effect that is very hard to make go away, even if you are trying to!"
See The Light To Feel Good - March 2008
Cut back on the alcohol, sit in front of the light box for a half an hour and suddenly life feels much brighter.
Glasgow Daily Record - Glasgow, UK
- Mar 24 2008 - by Jason Cowan
See The Light To Feel Good
Fitness Guru Jason Cowan Says Exercise Is A Great Way To Boost Your Mood And Lift Your Spirits, Especially When Out In The Fresh Air Powerhousefitness.co.uk
THIS time of year is still a tough time for hitting the gym. The days are still grey and cold and the nights draw in fast.
So this week, we are going to look at how we can lift our mood and trigger those feel-good chemicals to the brain that will get us by until those long summer nights arrive.
Firstly, we will talk about exercise.
It may not have brought a smile to your face when you paid your gym membership fee but exercise is a fast and effective mood-booster.
Any form of sweat-breaking will trigger the release of feel-good endorphins.
If you can manage to do it in the park, then the greenery and fresh air will lift your mood far more than sweating it out in the gym.
A lot of us suffer from a seasonal affective disorder, or S.A.D as it is commonly known, so until we get those long-awaited sunny days, sitting in front of a "light box" which stimulates natural daylight for 30-60 mins will lift your mood.
Also, time in the gym and getting a sweat on will combat this problem as well.
In terms of nutrition for lifting your spirits, a protein hit in every meal supplies your brain with a mood-enhancing chemical called tryptophan. Your body converts this into serotonin, which helps regulate sleep, appetite and mood. Red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, nuts and seeds are all good sources.
Balancing blood sugar is the quickest way to improve your mood with food.
Cut down on sugary foods and drinks and refined products such as pasta and bread.
These foods spike a sugar rush and subsequent crash that leaves you feeling tired and low.
Choose blood sugar levelling foods such as wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and pulses instead of eating junk food which will make you feel bad.
As well as warding off heart disease, Omega 3 has direc antidepressant effects, a good daily fish oil supplement will do if you can't stomach oily fish a few times a week.
Alcohol is a depressant and stops your body absorbing Bvitamins, which are vital for that good mood.
Excess alcohol also dehydrates the body so is not recommended for the gym lover - when did you last feel good with a hangover?
So to summarise ...
Go to the gym, get a sweat on, get out in the fresh air and eat protein-based meals.
Cut back on the alcohol, sit in front of the light box for a half an hour and suddenly life feels much brighter.
Simple.
Drugs used to treat depression very rarely work - February 2008
Drugs used to treat depression very rarely work, according to a new university study.
Some experts believe a walk in the park or a change of diet could do more to banish the blues than popping a pill. Around 31million prescriptions are written for antidepressants every year, costing the NHS £300million.
But researchers from Hull University – who used freedom of information rules to obtain details of unpublished drug trials – have discovered they could be a massive waste of money. They found that drugs including Prozac are no better than placebos for patients with mild to moderate depression.
The Sun - London, UK - February 2008
DRUGS used to treat depression very rarely work, according to a new university study.
Some experts believe a walk in the park or a change of diet could do more to banish the blues than popping a pill.
Around 31million prescriptions are written for antidepressants every year, costing the NHS £300million. But researchers from Hull University – who used freedom of information rules to obtain details of unpublished drug trials – have discovered they could be a massive waste of money. They found that drugs including Prozac are no better than placebos for patients with mild to moderate depression.
Professor Irving Kirsch, who led the study, says: “There seems little reason to prescribe antidepressants to anyone except the most severely depressed, unless alternative treatments have failed.”
So what are the alternatives?
Exercise, diet, talking therapies and a form of positive thinking called cognitive behaviour therapy have all been shown to help. Consultant psychiatrist Tim Kendall, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, says: “There are three trials which show exercise should be the first thing for people with mild to moderate depression to try.
“Anything that gets you physically moving is going to help.”
RISK
There is also evidence that diet can play a part. A study by psychiatrist Prof Malcolm Peet found a link between high intakes of fish – for example, sardines – and a reduced risk of depression.
Sun GP Dr Carol Cooper explains: “Fish is really important because the structure of essential fatty acids is almost identical to the structure of some of the brain, so it beefs up your brain biology.” Depression is a huge problem in the UK. One in ten adults will be given a prescription for antidepressants each year – but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
One thing all the experts agree on is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
Anyone currently prescribed antidepressants should not stop taking them without consulting their GP.
Here, we look at the degrees of depression and ask whether diet and exercise could be enough to lift the gloom.
DIAGNOSIS
“THERE’S a fine line between stress and mild depression,” says Sun GP Dr Carol Cooper. “If you feel worse as the day goes on, it’s more likely to be stress than depression.”
She says struggling to get to sleep is a sign of stress, while waking early is more likely to indicate depression.
“Depression also tends to be more long-lasting,” she says.
“It’s like a curtain that comes down and colours the way you see everything.
“If you’re just sad then that feeling isn’t constant – there will be things that make you smile.”
Another mild form of depression is SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder, or the winter blues. It’s caused by low seratonin levels brought on by a lack of sunlight.
CURE
Exercise is the best remedy for most cases of mild depression because it releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins. Dr Kendall’s recommended prescription is a strenuous workout three times a week, but he says any form of physical activity will help. Talking over your problems with a friend, your GP or a counsellor will also help you feel better. Cleaning up your diet can help lift the gloom. Boost your intake of oily fish like sardines or try taking a supplement of cod liver oil – several studies confirm its benefits.
Cut back on sugary foods, build meals around complex carbohydrates and cut back on booze. Alcohol may provide a brief boost, but in the long run it acts as a depressant. Recreational drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine are also depressants.
If there’s a seasonal pattern to your blues, try light therapy.
If you think your problems may be linked to premenstrual syndrome, keep a diary to note your moods and pinpoint a pattern. PMS often responds to simple dietary changes such as an increase in complex carbohydrates or vitamin B6, which is found in Marmite. Avoid sugary snacks as fluctuating blood sugar levels seem to aggravate symptoms. Stick to the healthy diet and regular exercise that’s recommended for mild depression.
DIAGNOSIS
WAKING feeling gloomy and fearful is a sure sign of depression, says Dr Cooper. Another is feeling constantly on the verge of tears. Dr Cooper says some patients talk openly about feeling depressed while others complain of feeling run-down or of “not feeling myself”.
There may be physical symptoms too. Dr Cooper says aches, feeling tired all the time, sleep problems, lack of appetite and loss of libido can all be signs of depression. As a rule, the more physical signs there are, the deeper the depression. Hormones can also wreak havoc with moods and many women get depressed just before a period.
CURE
Dr Cooper says in some cases of mild to moderate depression it can help to allow yourself to feel low.
There may be a clear trigger, such as a bereavement or redundancy – this is known as reactive depression – or a physical cause, such as the chronic pain of arthritis. Dr Cooper says: “If you are going through a bad patch, but feel as if you’re drowning it can help to say. ‘OK, I’ll wallow in this for twice a day.’ Cry, wail, kick the wall, just let it out.”
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is a form of positive thinking that banishes negative thought patterns and retrains the way you feel about things. Dr Cooper explains: “Whenever a baby does or says something, that experience creates new links between brain cells and as the action is repeated, it reinforces the connection.
CBT works in the same way, and over time alters the way you think.”
Or you could try the herbal remedy St John’s Wort. Dr Kendall says it is shown to ease mild to moderate depression and is widely prescribed in Germany. It is not regulated in the way medicines are and doses vary. Standardised brands include Kira and Bioforce.
But it can interfere with the Pill and other medicines so check with your GP or pharmacist first.
Dr Andrew McCulloch says it’s also important to tackle the causes of depression. If things are going wrong with a relationship, talk your problems over with a friend or see a counsellor. In some areas, the NHS offers guided self-help via computer programs. For details of these, and how to see a counsellor, ask your GP.
NO DIAGNOSIS
Some forms of depression, such as bipolar, don’t respond to something as simple as diet and exercise. There is evidence that this condition, also known as manic depression, is hereditary and is associated with clear changes in brain chemistry.
Complete loss of interest in life and everything you normally love is a sign of serious depression. Rock-bottom self-esteem and feeling worthless indicate a serious clinical problem that needs more than diet and exercise to cure. Self-harming or thoughts of suicide often indicate medical emergency and may require hospitalisation in a secure unit.
CURE
Dr Kendall says SSRIs – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, including Prozac – given under close supervision, are most likely to help.
They usually take between ten days and three weeks to start working but Dr Cooper says it is best for patients to stay on them for at least six months to ensure there is no relapse. Once the initial crisis has passed, talking therapies and cognitive behaviour therapy offer the best hope. CBT tackles the negative thinking that can lead to depression.
Dr McCulloch explains: “If you think, ‘I must go to work today and deliver everything my boss has told me to’, you will be vulnerable to depression because that might not happen. It’s much better to take the attitude, ‘This is important and I will do my best.’ It’s all about setting realistic standards.”
Lithium is often prescribed for bipolar patients and helps level out the manic highs and lows associated with the condition. When all else fails, severe depression can be tackled with a kind of shock treatment called electro-convulsive therapy. It’s very much a last resort but can produce dramatic improvements.
In an emergency, go to your local Accident and Emergency department and ask to see the duty psychiatrist.
NHS Direct – 0845 46 47 – can also provide help and advice.
Samaritans, 08457 909090, provides 24-hour emotional support and Saneline, 0845 767 8000, can provide information and crisis support from 1pm to 11pm daily.
Speak to your GP or call the Depression Alliance on 0845 123 2320 or go to depressionalliance.org. For advice on panic attacks, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders and general anxiety disorders call 0808 808 0545 or go to nopanic.org.uk.
Boosting winter energy - January 2008
boost winter energy
It’s January and barely has it got light before it gets dark again. At this time of year doctors’ surgeries are full of people complaining of tiredness and depression. It’s often convenient for doctors to talk in terms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or, in other cases, “tired all the time” syndrome
Times Online - UK - January 2008
Boosting winter energy
It’s January and barely has it got light before it gets dark again. At this time of year doctors’ surgeries are full of people complaining of tiredness and depression. It’s often convenient for doctors to talk in terms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or, in other cases, “tired all the time” syndrome. The causes are sometimes associated with a frame of mind or a demanding routine rather than a specific illness, and there are several simple ways to tackle them. Try to begin each day with exercise, be it a swim, a jog or, for the more adventurous, a t’ai chi session, as this will invigorate you. Find time to stretch, especially if you sit at a desk, as muscle fatigue from remaining in one position can cause lethargy. Find a reason for a brisk walk and take the stairs, not the lift. Even small amounts of simple exercise provide a useful boost.
Eat regular small meals rather than a feast in the evening, when you need least energy. This will help keep your blood-sugar levels stable and reduce the risk of energy crashes. Sugary cakes and chocolate will cause your energy level to spike and then plummet, which could draw you into a cycle of snacking, tiredness and weight gain. For a more steady release of energy, keep a packet of dried fruit or nuts to hand.
Not drinking enough water is one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. Alcohol dehydrates you, reduces the quality of sleep and slows recovery after exercise. Avoid relying on caffeine to get you going. Good breathing is a simple but effective tool for combating fatigue, so practise it several times a day (see graphic). If all else fails, a short holiday can work wonders.
TAKING IT FURTHER
sada.org.uk The website of the most long-standing support organisation for SAD provides advice for sufferers and information on where to obtain light boxes to alleviate symptoms
eatwell.gov.uk A good resource for all aspects of nutrition from the Food Standards Agency. Includes solid advice on sensible eating throughout the day and manageable new year’s resolutions
tinyurl.com/36sqhj Regular exercise is a great way to get your mojo working again. Bandolier is a respected medical journal and website that looks at the benefits and how to go about it safely
Fatigue-fighting exercises
A combined stretching and breathing excercise. Stand straight, arms by sides, and slowly raise arms together so that the hands touch at the knuckles (a) as you slowly breathe in through your nose.
Continue moving the arms and as they separate (b) slowly breathe out through the mouth. Bring arms around in a circle to your sides (c). Count to 5 as you breathe in and then out. Repeat 5 times
Lean your head sideways towards your left shoulder as your left hand pulls your right arm down and across, behind your back and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat 5 times on each side. Breathe normally throughout
Seasonal affective disorder: tips to beat the Winter blues - January 2008
Seasonal affective disorder: tips to beat the Winter blues - January 2008
Communitycare.co.uk - Sutton,UK - 17 January 2008 - writer Mark Drinkwater
Seasonal affective disorder: tips to beat the Winter blues - January 2008
For most of us this is the time of year when we realise we have already failed to keep our new year's resolutions, we're still in debt from Christmas and the weather seems permanently miserable.
So it will come as no surprise that the start of next week, 21 January, has been dubbed Blue Monday - calculated to be the unhappiest day of the year based on a formula devised by psychologist Cliff Arnall.
But whether you are just prone to a dip in mood during winter or are one of the estimated one million people in the UK with seasonal affective disorder (I suspect whoever came up with that had the acronym - SAD - already in mind), there are several ways to counter the doom and gloom.
Try a light box
Mental health charity Mind considers light therapy to be one of the most effective treatments for people with SAD. The process involves sitting in front of a specially designed light box, which mimics outdoor light, for an hour or so each day.
This light encourages chemical changes in your brain that improve mood. Light boxes can be used in the home while the user undertakes everyday tasks. Prices start from around £70, but before undertaking light therapy it is recommended that you consult your GP.
Get outdoors
It's tempting to stay indoors and hibernate during winter. However, exposure to natural light sends important signals to our hypothalamus, the area of the brain that controls sleep, appetite and mood functions. So get outdoors during daylight and get some fresh air.
Even if the sun isn't shining, a brief lunchtime walk around the park can be hugely beneficial. If it's not possible to get out during the day, try sitting near windows when indoors.
Eat healthily
Minimise your intake of fatty foods and sugary snacks as comfort eating will make you sluggish and lead to weight gain. Stimulants only create short lived energy bursts, so cut down on chocolate, tea and coffee. Reducing your alcohol intake will help too as booze has a depressant effect on the brain leading to a worsening of mood.
Instead, try to maintain a well-balanced diet containing plenty of fruit and vegetables. Oily fish may be a further consideration. Long called "brain food", there may be some truth in this as studies suggest that the Omega 3 fatty acids in oily fish can help with depressive moods.
Get more exercise
Physical activity increases the number of endorphins in our bodies. These feel-good chemicals improve energy levels, help us relax and feel happy. Consider cycling as a way of getting to work or try swimming in your free time as this is an excellent all-round aerobic exercise.
And while joining the gym might have been one of your failed resolutions, not all forms of physical activity need be so costly. Walking is arguably the easiest and best form of exercise, and as with all outdoor activities the exposure to sunlight has a positive effect on the brain's pineal gland, which results in a further boost to your mood.
Consider talking therapy
If your mood is very bleak it's important not to suffer in silence. Formal forms of counselling or cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) may be useful in helping cope with symptoms, and these treatments can help identify negative thoughts and feelings which may be making your symptoms worse.
Therapy sessions may also provide you with self-help techniques such as relaxation and breathing exercises. GPs are able to discuss the availability of treatment in your area, although there may be a waiting list. There is also a computerised form of CBT (CCBT) that may be available.
Treat yourself to a winter break
There's often an unseemly scramble to use up annual leave before the end of the financial year, so avoid this by booking a holiday in January or February. Choose the seaside to get plenty of fresh air.
Or if your budget (and green conscience) still allows after your Christmas spending, get some winter sun on an overseas holiday. This will give you something to look forward to and might just be the tonic you need.
- by Mark Drinkwater
Don’t worry, be happy - January 2008
Perhaps you are also a sufferer of Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, the condition said to cause depression through a lack of light, or is that another formula to explain our low mood?
Jan 2008 by Catherine Jones, Western Mail
Don’t worry, be happy
It’s dark and cold. We’re anxious and miserable. Concerned about house prices, Third World debt and climate change. But hey ho, maybe we shouldn’t worry too much... it’s January and that’s what Januarys are always like.
WELCOME to the month traditionally associated with woe – a depressing notion highlighted by psychologist Cliff Arnall, who has devised a light-hearted formula to show how one day in late January deserves to be the most miserable day of the year.
Brecon-based Mr Arnall’s equation calculates the effect of factors such as bad weather, Christmas debts, the after-effects of seasonal indulgence, failed resolutions and general malaise. (Here it is: [W + (D-d)] x TQ M x NA where W = weather, D = debt, d = money due in January pay, T = time elapsed since Christmas, Q = time since failed New Year's resolutions to quit smoking, drinking and so on, M = general motivational levels and NA = the need to take action).
Perhaps you are also a sufferer of Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, the condition said to cause depression through a lack of light, or is that another formula to explain our low mood?
“It’s a complicated question,” said cognitive therapist Alex Drummond. “It’s clear that people’s mood can be lower in the winter, and whether there is a biological mechanism related to light levels doesn’t matter because it’s about how we interpret the winter weather – we can’t go out as much and do the things we enjoy, and it’s cold, wet, miserable and dark so we can’t get out for our hobbies – so this alone will impact on your mood.
“Imagine the summer, when you can get home from work and go for a bike ride before having a barbecue. Very different!”
Add to all this the current uncertainty over house prices and interest rates – and the state of UK politics where a raft of events has shown that Prime Minister Gordon Brown is suffering teething problems as well as the Government’s own repayment issues – and we may be wondering if this year, more than many in recent times, we face increased levels of anxiety, not least thanks to our ever-broadening national conscience.
Once it seemed so simple at the start of every new year. Budget a bit to counteract gift-buying excesses, resolve to lose weight and be a nicer person, and generally shuffle about doing the best you could for yourself and your family.
Now, thanks to available credit, the debt can be that much bigger. Now, thanks to family packs, people carriers and every other super-sized accessory of our times, there may be more pounds to shed.
And thanks to increased opportunities for travel, and the internet’s ability to educate us about life beyond our own community and country, doing one’s best often involves doing no more than checking your elderly neighbour has fetched in her milk.
These days it’s also about helping the economy in Somalia, investigating if your clothes were produced in a sweatshop as well as paying a monthly subscription to the RSPB to ensure the natural habitat of the UK’s birds is preserved.
In the latest edition of Therapy, the industry magazine for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, an article asks whether clients will start to raise global warming as an issue about which to worry.
“I don’t get that kind of concern,” said Maesycymmer-based Mr Drummond, “but if someone is coming to me with worries about global warming, it actually won’t be that significant.
“It’s a generation thing – my generation worried about nuclear bombs, and for the generation before that it was whether communists would take over the world. It’s an historically repeated pattern. Every generation picks an issue, some bit of mad Frankenstein science to be scared of, to be concerned about our powerlessness.”
In such an instance, Mr Drummond, who charges £40 an hour and whose appointments book is full, says he would use a technique called “specific cognition” and ask his client: What are you actually afraid of?
“Then it’s trying to identify the specific fear and then rate the likelihood of that fear occurring. It might be someone is worried that the planet will destroy itself and mankind will cease, but there is no evidence for that within thousands of years so you have to address what is a realistic fear.”
Those with earthier concerns – such as buying their first home – may be worried if house prices are going up or down. If either way is bad news for someone, not knowing – that state of limbo so at odds with the decisive tradition of new year – is causing heartache.
Financial expert Bob Windust of First Option reckons this year, more than any, is a time for taking stock of financial matters.
“I think there’s a number of mortgage issues. There’s the current debt people put themselves into at Christmas. Quite often, apart from credit cards, they may try to add this to their mortgages and they may now find that difficult because 70% of adverse clients – those with a couple of hiccups on their credit score which may be caused by a couple of missed payments on their mortgage which then goes against them – are being rejected.
“I think some funds are now becoming so strict whereas this time last year I could get virtually any type of deal. Underwriters – the people who OK deals after assessing the income of the borrowers – are under pressure.
“A typical mortgage lender will lend four times a salary but if a person has a number of loans and is coming up to near their multiples they could be classed as adverse.
“This year there is no more cheap money – that’s gone. It’s all getting back within your income multiples, whereas before they were borrowing more.”
Mr Windust, an independent financial adviser, says it is the first time in his long experience that he has seen money being made scarce for borrowers with less than a perfect credit record.
“The money coming in to mortgage companies for adverse borrowers is drying up, and we haven’t had that in the history of finance,” said Mr Windust.
“Adverse borrowers coming out of fixed-rate deals faced with a variety of rates might get a shock because of the credit crunch from America.”
Mr Windust said every client is individual but first-time buyers have traditionally been over their income to buy a house and furniture.
“But for the middle groups and older groups in their 50s, their levels have gone much higher over the past 10 years.
“Traditionally, those in their late 40s and 50s would have fairly small mortgages, and the older ones would have almost paid them off and be looking to a rosy future. But many people have pushed so much on top of the mortgage they have still got fairly large ones compared with 10 years ago.
“In many ways, the percentage borrowing from middle to late-age groups is becoming just as high as for first-time buyers.”
Mr Windust said there was an increase in the demand for lending during the last three months of 2007, according to the latest credit conditions survey from the Bank of England. But the survey also indicated that the availability of secured credit to households had been reduced over the three months to mid-December. He said there is a lack of consumer confidence in the market and a slowing housing market, although it is not all doom and gloom.
“This survey corroborates other evidence of worsening market sentiment. This may increase the chances of interest rate cuts sooner rather than later if inflation remains subdued.
“Borrowers should make a New Year Resolution to review their finances and plan ahead if they are coming off fixed-rate deals later this year.”
Despite the challenges ahead in 2008, three-quarters of UK advisers see further falls in the Bank of England base rate, making 2008 what Mr Windust calls the year of “the great mortgage divide”.
“While the outlook may not be so good for adverse clients, this may mean that prime clients may see their mortgage payments become cheaper as we enter 2008.”
On an emotional level, Liz Worthington, of Horizons, a counselling centre in Bridgend, believes this time of year can be significant.
“There is no doubt that some people find the Christmas and new year period very stressful.
“The build-up to Christmas can be exciting as well as busy, and many of us cope by convincing ourselves that the day itself will or should be perfect.
“But nothing is perfect, and the day may have fallen far short of what we had hoped,” said Ms Worthington.
“We find ourselves spending long hours with partners and families who we normally see for only short periods.
“There may be arguments and it may become obvious to us that our relationships, fragile at the best of times, are ‘on the rocks’.”
Horizons Counselling offers couple counselling to enable partners to discuss their relationship with each other, on neutral territory, as well as tackling issues such as stress, anxiety and depression.
Ms Worthington said, “The approach of a new year also presents problems for some people. As well as a chance to look forward, making plans and resolutions for the future, many of us evaluate our lives at this time. For those who are dissatisfied with the direction their lives are taking, counselling can be helpful. It can enable people to consider the choices they have and, if they wish, set goals and make changes.”
Mr Drummond said this time of year is acknowledged as a period when people decide to pack in their jobs and start afresh.
“If people take a week off work it’s a reminder, a glimpse, of the experience of living without work stress and pressure, and they start re-assessing.
“There’s a difference between pressure and stress. You can have pressure in a job but if you have no control, that equals stress.
“Relationship difficulties are quite common but sometimes it’s to do with work pressures. Some jobs have a very toxic environment and it can be difficult to decide whether the individual should change their job or change the way they approach their job.”
Mr Drummond believes that the high materialistic standards of today’s society may cause dissatisfaction in people’s lives.
“It may be something about people’s expectations. When I was a youngster, we were happy to buy a second-hand sofa from the in-laws, but today there is the expectation of a new sofa.
“Youngsters expect to have nice new things and furniture, and that creates debts, and if they are unhappy at work they can’t leave their job because there is too much at stake.”
Mr Drummond has seen an increase in people’s willingness to seek and respond to counselling, a fact he believes has become more socially acceptable thanks to the likes of John Cleese, whose best-selling book, Families and How to Survive Them, touched on his own life-changing experiences of therapy.
Mr Drummond said, “It may be just about dealing with change. Perhaps people are worried about the demands made on them at work but can they cope with relationships?
“When we expect others to behave in a certain way and they don’t, that’s when we can get tension. An awful lot of dissatisfaction in relationships is the result of projecting an internalised fantasy image – that feeling of love at first sight – but over the years you discover the image isn’t real and the real person falls short of the fantasy.”
We live, says Mr Drummond, in a significantly changing world. People need therapists to address issues because their job may have dictated they move away from their families and friends who might otherwise provide support.
“You also have to factor in women’s mobility. Equality rights started to be fought and women now have the freedom to move on. They can have a job, car, house so they question why they need the man.
“Even as recently as the 1970s, women couldn’t have a mortgage. A friend of mine was a househusband in the early 1970s with a wife who was a professional full-time teacher. She was refused a mortgage so he got a job in a factory welding radiators for three months so he had three pay slips to present to the mortgage company.
“Women are no longer a possession as they were in the original marriage contract. When two people come together and it works, that’s brilliant. But when it doesn’t, instead of resenting each other, you can choose to find someone else. It also makes it easier for the man who used to think if he left her she would end up penniless’.
“A relationship is about two people coming together, and adding value and enriching people’s lives. But if that isn’t happening, why are you with them?
“Liberation, choice and freedom. We have to make the most of our lived experience. If a relationship isn’t enriching life, what needs to change?”
Faced with the host of new year “Lose weight now!” articles and offers, Mr Drummond has some advice for anyone whose resolution is to shed pounds in the belief it will revolutionise their (love) life.
“If someone is saying ‘I have got to lose weight’, we need to address the issue of what they think would happen if they were thinner.
“They may say ‘If I was thinner I would be more loved’ but there are plenty of thin people who are perfectly miserable so it’s down to what difference it makes.
“Sometimes it can be realistic – the shedding of half-a-stone say, to return to the weight we historically were.
“Sometimes it can be unrealistic. Sometimes people think, ‘If I was as thin as Victoria Beckham, I would have her lifestyle’. No, you would simply have a lot of neuroses.”
Mr Drummond says political issues do not directly affect his clients – nobody comes through the door ruing the policy on Iraq, for example – but he does see a knock-on effect.
“Not everyone agrees with governments but it comes down to how it affects each of us personally, if it affects our job or home. If, say, the housing market in South Wales is quite sluggish then if you’re separating and have to sell, that’s hard. People may be holding out for the price the property was valued at last year when the reality is it’s now worth £10,000 less.”
Obviously there’s a kind of ‘where we are at’ feeling at the beginning of year which is symbolised in New Year Resolutions.
“Over Christmas, there are lots of internal rules for the family to get together and have a brilliant time, but quite a lot don’t have that experience, and that can create conflict.
“Someone might also have exacerbated any debt as they might overspend to overcompensate if they are guilty about relationships or the quality of them. So you get a situation where people spend and work and they can’t leave a job they hate because they have too much to pay.”
Happy New Year!
Feeling SAD? - January 2008
Want to get away? At this time of year most people get the post-Christmas blues, but for some winter depression is a more serious matter.
holidayextras.co.uk - January 2008 - by: Maxine Clarke
Want to get away? At this time of year most people get the post-Christmas blues, but for some winter depression is a more serious matter.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is an 'affective' or 'mood' disorder with the majority of sufferers experiencing normal mental health throughout most of the year. However with the onset of winter comes a range of depressive symptoms including sleeping problems, lethargy, depression and anxiety.
If you desperately feel the need for a winter sun holiday, you have scientific backing.
It is thought that SAD is caused by a biochemical imbalance due to a lack of sunlight and shorter days in winter. For some this is an unpleasant but mild condition known as subsyndromal SAD. For others it is a serious illness for which continuous medical treatment is required in order to function normally.
The most effective treatment is light therapy which, according to the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association, has been shown to successfully treat up to 85 per cent of diagnosed cases. A bright summer's day provides the most powerful light.
Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK’s leading flight comparison site, reports that bookings for sun worshipping holidays have been unexpectedly high this winter. Flight searches to consistently sunny spots like Egypt are up by 20% compared to 2006 and searches to Australia have increased by 37% compared to this time last year.
“Fleeces are switched for flip-flops in favour of cheaper flights to destinations that have sun this time of year,’ comments Francesca Ecsery, General Manager, Cheapflights.co.uk.
The UK never really had a summer with all the rain - people should consider getting away before SAD sets in.” Top winter sun destinations include the Caribbean, Florida, Mauritius, South Africa, Dubai, Cyprus and the Canary Islands. For those who cannot take a winter break, a therapy lamp is the next best thing to combat SAD. 247electrical.co.uk says sales of its specialist SAD Therapy Lamps have shot up 300% in the last two months compared to the same period last year. SAD is estimated to affect up to one in 20 people, with women and younger people more likely to suffer.
Written by: Maxine Clarke
Casting light on seasonal sadness - January 2008
Susan Lee meets a woman who knows just how badly the post-Christmas blues can damage people’s lives.... ...
Liverpool Echo Newspaper, England, UK - 16 January 2008
Casting light on seasonal sadness
Susan Lee meets a woman who knows just how badly the post-Christmas blues can damage people’s lives
THE sun isn’t out, the sky isn’t blue and for many of us the dark days of winter leave us feeling below par.
But when do the January blues become something more serious?
Retail giant John Lewis has announced that sales of light boxes, a potential cure for SAD – seasonal affective disorder – have rocketed this year with customers buying as early as July as a result of our gloomy summer.
“Sales of SAD lamps normally kick off in October and peak on December 20 as people prepare themselves for the post festive blues. This year we have noticed a trend in people buying the lamps much earlier,” says lighting buyer Philip Goodwin.
But do the lamps really work – and how?
One woman who knows from experience how deeply SAD can affect a person – and who now swears by lightboxes – is Bev Bunting.
So much so she now runs her own company based in Southport supplying boxes across the UK and Europe.
“We have been in business for almost 12 years. Last year we were busier than ever and that’s continued this year.
“There is a lot more awareness of SAD these days. Until relatively recently mental problems were still taboo. Now people understand there is a physiological cause to the way they are feeling.”
Bev, who is 55 and married to Philip, a community pharmacist, says she began to experience symptoms of SAD when she returned from living in Australia.
“It’s so much more than simply feeling low. For me the problem used to literally suck the lifeblood out of me and always seemed to kick in immediately after Christmas.
“I was tired, depressed and unsociable and even the most simple tasks felt too much,” she remembers.
Other sufferers report loss of libido, too.
“It can have a huge impact on your life, from disrupting relationships to affecting your health. We had one gentleman in the shop who was on his third marriage and that was under strain.
“He could trace a pattern of problems back to SAD symptoms.”
But far from being simply a fit of the glooms, Bev says research found SAD sufferers have an imbalance of seratonin and melatonin.
“Melatonin is the chemical which makes us sleep. When we wake sunlight hits the retina, switches off the production of melatonin and starts production of seratonin which is responsible for promoting our ‘feelgood’ factor. It boosts our immunity and generally makes us feel better.
“But if we are waking in the dark and light levels are low all the time that production is reduced so we end up feeling without energy and low.”
And that, she says, is where light boxes can help. They replicate sunlight and help stimulate seratonin production. They can also help with jetlag and shift work.
Light boxes start at around £100 with sufferers spending 90 minutes a day in front of them. More expensive boxes require less time.
“But you can’t put a price on health and we do let people rent boxes first to trial them.
“We’re not in the business of making pots of money. I know how wretched SAD can make you feel and if we can help others then that’s what it’s all about.”
Let there be light by Tim Yeo MP - January 2008
Bringing the clocks forward an hour throughout the year would not just save daylight but also fuel, emissions and 100 lives
Guardian Newspaper, England ,UK - 14 January 2008
Let there be light by Tim Yeo
January 14, 2008 5:30 PM
In my first 23 years in parliament I never made it into the top 20 for the private members' bills ballot. Suddenly I've been drawn two years running. A year ago I introduced the energy saving (daylight) bill proposing that, for a three-year trial period, we make evenings lighter by bringing the clocks forward an hour throughout the year.
Very regrettably the bill was allowed to be talked out, mainly by Scottish MPs, some of whom saw this as a good opportunity to stir up anti-English feeling ahead of their May elections. And that was despite that fact that the bill expressly provided for Scotland to opt out if they chose. However, since last year the evidence of the potential benefits of my bill, including the benefits for Scotland, and the numbers of its supporters is growing not weakening. Which is why I am introducing it for a second time this year.
Under my bill, we would be on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) plus one hour in winter (the equivalent of British Summer Time) and GMT plus two hours in summer. The clocks would still change in March and October as they do now, but dusk would fall an hour later throughout the year.
The benefit of this simple measure is that we would spend more of our waking hours in daylight. Most of us waste several hours of daylight before we get up in the morning and those who enjoy a lie-in at weekends waste even more.
There would be many advantages to using this daylight more efficiently but, significantly, it would be a simple, free and painless measure to cut carbon emissions.
The most recent research (pdf) by Cambridge University has found that Britain would cut its average daily electricity consumption during winter months by 2% simply by moving to GMT plus one, cutting our winter CO2 emissions by roughly 1.2m tonnes. It seems reasonable to assume there would also be a reduction in gas use too.
The effects on our electricity bills would be dramatic because we would not merely be using less, but by reducing the early evening peaks in demand for electricity, the price would also fall. Cambridge University estimates that moving to a GMT+1 winter would bring down the price of electricity by 5%. Their findings were broadly confirmed to me by the National Grid's own modelling a year ago. Surely anything with the clear potential to reduce our CO2 emissions and bring down the now spiralling costs of electricity must be worth trying.
But there are many other potential benefits of my bill. It would mean we could all get out more. With lighter evenings there would be more opportunities for sport and recreation to help combat growing obesity. Families could spend more time outdoors together after school and work instead of just flopping in front of the television.
Tourist attractions and sports facilities could stay open later to boost their business; this is why the idea is backed by the tourist industry, which is envious of the longer summer evenings people enjoy abroad. The Tourism Alliance, which comprises 50 tourism industry organisations, estimates the move could boost UK tourism by £3bn. This would help cut Britain's £18bn annual tourism deficit and provide jobs and regeneration.
Age Concern England is also in favour, because many elderly people feel trapped in their homes the minute it gets dark. Furthermore, lighter evenings deter certain types of crime, such as burglary and muggings before people return from work or as they travel home.
There is a potential reduction in seasonal affective disorder, a condition that affects up to one in 20 people to some extent during the winter months. And because flight patterns are geared around daybreak the move would minimise sleep disruption for those living under flight paths. This is why the Heathrow Association for the Control of Airport Noise came out in support of the bill.
But the starkest reason why we should embrace this trial is the now indisputable fact that it will save lives. There is ample evidence that changing the clocks in this way would prevent over 100 deaths and serious injuries on our roads every year, 40 of them in Scotland, as tired drivers make their way home during the evening rush hour. And it is mainly the most vulnerable road users who are the victims, especially children on their way home from school and cyclists doing their bit for the environment by leaving their car at home.
There is a morning peak in road accidents on dark mornings but a much longer one in the evening rush hour when the roads are busier and pedestrians, and children in particular, tend not to travel directly between school and home as they do in the morning but mill around more.
Imagine an accident happened in which 100 people died. Suppose the subsequent public inquiry showed that, although the cause was simple and could be easily prevented, the same accident was bound to recur every year with the same horrific death toll. Wouldn't there be a public outcry until parliament acted?
The government does not contest the adverse affects on road accidents of staying on GMT in winter but they still refuse to countenance a trial of daylight saving.
Those of you with long memories will recall a similar experiment back in 1969-1971, which is often sited as evidence that this measure has no net benefits. But that experiment was never properly assessed (aside from proven reductions in road casualties).
Furthermore, British lifestyles and working practices have changed considerably in 35 years; in particular far fewer people work outdoors and we have less restrictive labour practices, which were problematic then. For example unions insisted their members stick to the same start time for outdoor workers even in the few weeks of the year when there would be poor morning light. The need to cut greenhouse gas emissions was not an issue at that time.
British Summer Time was introduced in 1916 to save coal. During the second world war GMT+1 was in use in the winter months and GMT+2 in summer, again to reduce fuel consumption. According to the recent Cambridge study, it can be conservatively estimated that had the 1969-1971 experiment not be abandoned we would have saved in the order of 46.4m tonnes of carbon just from the reduced demand in electricity.
Britons on lookout for a place under the sun - January 2008
THE SALES of ‘SAD’ lamps are at record levels at this time of year, and given the ongoing gloomy weather outlook, that can be understandable..... ...
Khaleej Times Online , Dubai - 13 January 2008
Britons on lookout for a place under the sun
13 January 2008
THE SALES of ‘SAD’ lamps are at record levels at this time of year, and given the ongoing gloomy weather outlook, that can be understandable.
SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a depression that affects people during the autumn and winter months, which experts believe is brought about by the lack of daylight hours.
Those affected by SAD complain of feeling miserable, tired, having low energy levels and depression, with more women affected than men .
The constant worry over work, relationships and financial matters can also increase the tension and oncoming of SAD. The cure? Well a good dose of daylight or the usage of the SAD lamps should help alleviate that depressed state. But some Britons fed up with the constant greying weather conditions, and the sluggish start to the New Year are seeking a more effective remedy to chase away those seasonal blues.
Travel to exotic climes it seems is the answer. This is the way to escape the humdrum of the normal routine, and relax in some idyllic tropical location.
The normal winter sunshine boltholes for Britons are places as far as Hawaii, Malaysia and South Africa.
But what about those Britons who want something of a more permanent whole year round warmer, kinder climate to settle down in?
Never having to worry about SAD again, as you learn a new language, and enjoy exotic cuisine. All of this is achievable for those brave enough to take the plunge.
With European Union membership, citizens of member countries have the right to live and work in any other EU country, and many have done precisely just that.
At an estimate, one million Britons live in Spain for the whole year, with many owning second homes there. In their rush to accommodate the new arrivals however, Spanish town planning laws were conveniently side stepped and some authorities turned a convenient blind eye to rampant construction projects, many of which have now been declared illegal.
When Len and Helen Prior were given just two hours to pack up their worldly goods from their luxury villa in southern Spain, naturally the pair were devastated. Despite assurances that their retirement home was safe as permission was granted to the Priors by the town council, the regional government insisted that the £350,000 dwelling had been constructed on greenbelt land, and that it must be demolished.
The Priors who have lived in Southern Spain for six years however felt that common sense would prevail. They never envisaged the bulldozers arriving with the police to reduce their dream home to rubble, and now leaving them homeless. Despite appeals to the authorities, the Spanish land grab is set to affect others in the same situation as the Priors, and unless the EU can intervene, many more Britons face losing their place in the sun.
Urgent help and guidance needs to be given to those like the Priors to ensure that the rights of EU citizens are not trampled on in countries where sadly the laws might not give as much protection to the individual as in the UK. Perhaps grey skies aren't all that bad after all.
By Tusdiq Din (Letter from the UK)
Taking Winter Blues in your stride - December 2007
People who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - a type of depression caused by lack of sunlight - are likely to be worst-affected by winter blues ... ...
Newham Recorder, London, England ,UK - 4 December 2007
Taking winter blues in your stride
Newham residents who are tempted to retreat indoors and huddle under a duvet during the winter months may be missing out on a mood boost.
With nearly a month to go until the shortest day of the year on December 22, the Mental Health Foundation is urging people to leave their workplace at lunchtime or take a daylight stroll in the morning in order to inject some sunlight into their lives.
People who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - a type of depression caused by lack of sunlight - are likely to be worst-affected by winter blues. But the cold, wet darkness can get anybody down.
While one-in-100 people are thought to suffer from full-blown SAD, many more show signs of less severe sub-syndromal SAD.
Foundation chief executive Dr Andrew McCulloch said: "Lots of people find the winter months a gloomy time, and for those suffering from SAD, getting through the day can be a struggle.
Research has shown that a key factor is getting enough light, which has a huge effect on our brains and hormonal systems.
"If it's cold outside, people are often tempted to stay at their desk for lunch, especially if they have a lot of work to get through.
"Workplace lighting tends to be designed for the task in hand, rather than a person's health, so it's important to get the benefit of some daylight during your lunch hour. If you are at home during the day with children, pop out for half an hour."
If you are elderly or have limited movement, wrap up warm and stand outside the front door.
If you are disheartened by the idea of wandering the streets at lunchtime, why not check if your office is near one of Newham's many parks or green spaces? Most homes are within a ten-minute walk of a park. Visit www.newham.gov.uk/Services/ parksinnewham for more information.
If you think you might be suffering from SAD, make an appointment with your GP. Symptoms include spending more time asleep, weight gain and carbohydrate cravings.
Visit www.mentalhealth.org.uk for further information about the charity's work
Police get little ray of sunshine - December 2007
HOW do you cheer up a depressed copper? Stick his head in a light box and flick the switch, according to Scotland Yard.... ...
Times Newspaper, England ,UK - 9 December 2007
Police get little ray of sunshine
HOW do you cheer up a depressed copper? Stick his head in a light box and flick the switch, according to Scotland Yard.
The Metropolitan police has installed two such boxes at its headquarters in a pilot study to see if stressed officers can improve their “wellbeing” and alleviate the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
The boxes, which are installed in the canteen, emit a light which is the same intensity and quality as bright sunshine. The Met says that 30 minutes’ exposure to a light box can boost officers’ moods, energy and alertness.
However, a single session is unlikely to transform a grumpy individual, like the hard-bitten DCI Gene Hunt from the hit TV series Life on Mars, into a genial community support officer.
There are claims as many as a million people in Britain suffer from SAD, which can lead to depression, sleep problems and lethargy. Another 5m suffer from a milder form known as subsyndromal SAD or “winter blues”.
Both conditions are said to be caused by the onset of shorter days and overcast skies because the lack of daylight can alter brain chemistry.
Nerve centres in the brain controlling daily rhythms and moods are stimulated by the amount of light entering the eyes. As night falls, the pineal gland produces melatonin which tells the body it is nighttime. Bright light at daybreak is the signal for the gland to stop producing melatonin. Evidence also shows that exposure to bright light boosts serotonin, low levels of which can cause depression.
The Met is encouraging its officers to use the boxes at lunch-time or other work breaks during the trial period. It will then decide whether to provide them for all its staff.
At a time when Scotland Yard is in turmoil over infighting among senior commanders, an investigation into misuse of credit cards and calls for the commissioner Sir Ian Blair to resign, it is hardly surprising that Met officers are feeling downcast.
The move has, however, provoked a bemused reaction from rank and file officers. Peter Smyth, of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “It sounds like a bright idea. But I would think most coppers would mercilessly ta