Posts Tagged ‘SAD’
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Depression occurs in the young and the old and in men and women. We do know that the rate of depression in men is less than for women.
The symptoms that men experience can be different from those that women experience. Symptoms including anger, irritability, and feeling discouraged are more common in men than symptoms of hopelessness or helplessness.
Typical symptoms we associate with depression such as depressed mood may not be present in depression in men. This can make it more difficult to recognize depression in men. Many famous men, including President Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, had depression and still lived successful lives.
Unfortunately, men are not as likely as women to admit to having depression. Even if they do admit to having depression, they may be less likely to seek treatment. Men may stuff their feelings instead of verbalizing them. They may work more, gamble, or use alcohol or drugs to avoid their feelings. Their sleep and or appetite may change. They may suddenly begin talking about divorce or separation.
Women attempt suicide more often than men, but the rate of completed suicide in men is 4 times that of women. Suicide rates peak in mid life and again later in life. Men age 85 and older have the highest suicide rate.
Men want and need to be strong for their families; they don’t want to appear weak or vulnerable. If they are the primary bread winner, they can feel pressure to provide for their dependents. Of course, these general statements can be applied to women as well.
If you suspect a friend or loved one may be depressed, urge them to seek a professional evaluation. There are many options, including medication, therapy or a combination of the two.
Tags: Depression, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression
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Monday, July 12th, 2010
We frequently talk about the importance of treating depression. Here’s another reason to get help now.
As many as 1 out of every 3 people who have a heart attack report feelings of depression. Women, people who have had depression before, and people who feel alone and without social or emotional support are at a higher risk of depression after a heart attack.
If you have major depression and have had a heart attack, you’re at a much higher risk to die of a heart attack. Although this is very sobering, you need to know the facts. We know that chemicals in our brain are not in proper balance when depressed. When people suffer from depression, they are not as likely to take care of themselves properly. People don’t eat right and commonly don’t exercise. Sleep is usually disturbed in some way, too.
Anxiety increases heart patients’ likelihood of suffering a heart attack, stroke or heart failure. The link between anxiety and such events can’t be explained by health behaviors like smoking, severity of disease or biological factors such as hormone levels or heart rate.
So if you have depression and heart disease, pay extra attention to your physical and mental health. Don’t put off asking for help. You and your body deserve it!
Tags: Depression, Heart Attack, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression
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Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Pregnancy is a joyous occasion. Pregnancy, though, does not protect women from experiencing mild to severe depression. Medication and/or therapy may be recommended.
Treating depression is always important and it can be successfully treated during and after pregnancy. Some antidepressant/anti anxiety medications can be used safely throughout pregnancy and breast feeding.
A drug free way of treating depression during pregnancy is by using a light therapy box. Bright light therapy is as effective as the antidepressants in depression cure in pregnant women. Bright light therapy has yielded favorable results for curing depression in pregnancy. It also is quite safe as it does not have any side effects. It requires a patient to sit in front of a box for about 30 minutes a day, depending on the patient.
Here are some findings from research on pregnancy and depression:
- Babies born to moms with depression have an increased risk for irritability, less activity and attentiveness and fewer facial expressions.
- There are possible fetal abnormalities when mothers take antidepressants in the first trimester. But there’s not a particular pattern associated with a specific medication or class of medications.
Some specific treatment recommendations include:
- Talk to your provider early if you are planning to conceive. You can talk about the best options for you as an individual.
- Encourage the provider who will deliver your baby and your mental health provider to consult with each other on the best options for you. They will help you understand the risks and benefits of medication versus therapy, etc.
- If you are taking an antidepressant for depression, don’t discontinue or change your dose of medication on your own. This could be dangerous and your symptoms could worsen.
- Use bright light therapy as a drug free option to treat your depression during pregnancy.
- If you have severe depression and are pregnant, you should remain on medication.
Untreated depression during pregnancy has been proven to lead to higher rates of:
- Lower birth weights
- Pre-term labor (depression doubles the risk)
- Increased use of alcohol and drugs to self-medicate
Please have a candid discussion with both your psychiatrist and OB-GYN regarding the benefits, risks and side effects of all medications. If you have been diagnosed with depression and are considering pregnancy, meet with your health providers before you get pregnant. This will provide peace of mind and help to make sure that you and your baby are both as healthy as possible.
Tags: Bright light therapy, Depression, Light box, Light Therapy, Pregnancy, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression
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Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Tags: Bipolar Disorder, Children, Depression, Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD, Support, Teens
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Monday, June 21st, 2010
Today marks the official first day of summer, also known as the Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere. Here are some activities to think about doing to get yourself outside and enjoying the sunlight:
Do some gardening, take the bike out for a spin, go for a walk with your family or pets, go for a swim, have lunch at a restaurant with an outdoor patio, get a hammock or swing, play some games outside, or have friends over and grill. Celebrate that it is summertime and enjoy the sunlight.
Daylight brought indoors has been shown to improve productivity, enhance health and wellness, and reduce overall energy costs. Pure natural daylight makes colors more vivid, reduces eye strain, and, according to studies, the variation in solar light levels throughout the course of a day helps cure Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Tags: Depression, Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder
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Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Vitamins B12
Vitamins B6 and B12 affect and help regulate your mood, and might help alleviate SAD. A Finnish study reports vitamin B12 helps reduce depression.
Vitamins B6 and B12
Vitamins B6 and B12 promote healthy blood cells, and help regulate the nervous system. They affect mood and brain functioning.
The B Vitamins and SAD
Vitamins B6 and B12 promote dopamine production, one of the body’s neurotransmitters responsible for pleasure. If a person does not have adequate amounts of these vitamins, he might experience lethargy, a lack of concentration, anxiety and other symptoms similar to SAD.
Food Sources of Vitamins B6 and B12
Food sources include fish, meat, chicken, cheese, milk, eggs and fortified cereals. Vegetarians should consider a supplement.
Daily Requirements
Eat 1.3 to 1.7 mg of vitamin B6 per day. Eat 2.4 mcg of vitamin B12 per day.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/32354-b-vitamin-seasonal-affective/#ixzz0r8XdhwsA
Tags: Depression, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD, Vitamin B
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Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Here are a few support group links!
The Seasonal Affective Disorder Association:
http://www.sada.org.uk/
Daily Strength – Seasonal Affective Disorder Support Group:
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Seasonal-Affective-Disorder/support-group
Mental Health America:
http://www.nmha.org/go/sad
Facebook group for Seasonal Affective Disorder:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seasonal-affective-disorder/106176212746152
Tags: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Facebook, Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD, Support
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Thursday, June 10th, 2010
January and February are probably the worst months of the year for seasonal affective disorder sufferers. There are many things to do during theses dark days.
- Get more light in a safe way. You can:
• Use your light box regularly
• Keep our curtains open in the bedroom
• Get outdoors whenever the sun is out
• Take a drive in your car when the sun is out
• Brighten up your home
• Spend time in the brightest room in your house
• Don’t undertake unnecessary duties or chores
• Delay what can be delayed
• Don’t allow guilt to prevent you from saying no
- Explain to others what is going on and tell them what they can do to make your life easier
- Exercise as much as you can
- If you are not on medications and are still laboring under the burden of winter, discuss with your doctor the possibility of starting them
- If you are on medications and they do not seem to be helping, talk to your doctor about other possibilities
- Keep a journal
- Find out what brings you enjoyment and do more of it
- Find out what brings you discontentment and do less of it
- Accept the down time
- Accept that winter may never feel as good as the other seasons
- Busy some forced bulbs and watch them grow and bloom in the dark months.
- Wait for spring, because sooner or later it will come
Tags: Depression, Exercise, Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Other people can be a great source of support and comfort to those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder.
The top 5 things to do:
1. Understand the problem – You need to recognize that SAD is a real problem and affliction. Someone who suffers from SAD may look okay but can be having major difficulties in functioning. Your relative or friend with SAD needs more light and can benefit from your support and understanding. Once you understand the mood and energy problems of SAD, you will be able to handle them better.
2. Just be there – Just your presence and company can do a SAD sufferer good. Even though they may seem withdrawn and unfriendly, they appreciate the company. Many like the people being around, but you need to remember that you will probably not get a lot out of them.
3. Encourage the seasonal person – Remind them that this phase will pass, and they will feel better again. Remind them of some good times you have had, they may simply have forgotten. Because you understand that it is a seasonal problem, it can help just to remind them that it will pass.
4. Help with simple things – Just getting out of bed can be huge step. But asking them what you can do to help is greatly appreciated. It can be getting the kids ready and off to school, making breakfast or lunch or even dinner, getting groceries, household chores, doing the laundry or even paying the bills. Some things are simple and will take a couple of minutes, but it can make a huge difference.
5. Try to understand the seasonal person when they are in the other phase – It may come as a shock when the sufferer all of a sudden is happy and successful. But you need to understand that you need to be supportive either way. Sufferers can become a bit wired from the sudden abundance of sunlight. Many can show poor judgment or impulsiveness. If you see this happening you may want to speak with your doctor.
Tags: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD, Support
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Friday, June 4th, 2010
What is LUX anyway?
lux Pronunciation: (luks), —n.,
—pl. luces Pronunciation: (lOO’sEz).
A unit of illumination, equivalent to 0.0929 foot-candle and equal to the illumination produced by luminous flux of one lumen falling perpendicularly on a surface one meter square. Symbol: LX. Also called meter-candle.
Basically, it’s a unit of light measurement. Higher the number, brighter the light source.
What is the importance of the 10,000 lux and distance rating?
The 10,000 lux measurement is important in light therapy to judge the effectiveness of any particular light box or lamp. Since the 1970’s, studies have shown that light therapy is effective when a person is within a 10,000 lux brightness range of light for twenty to thirty minutes. Our light box has a 10,000 lux range at 24 inches. This is important to consider when shopping around. Many lamps boast of 10,000 lux light, but fail to mention at what distance this is from the light unit. For example, a light that has a 10,000 lux range of twelve inches means that either you would need to sit within a foot from the light for ½ hour, or at a more comfortable two feet you would need to spend one hour to get the same therapeutic effect. You will need to consider what works best for your lifestyle when making your decision.
Light therapy boxes built with some UL-listed parts are not the same as those in which the whole light box has been UL-tested and listed. If a company says it uses UL approved parts, this means the whole light box was not tested. For safety sake, verify this before you buy. It’s also against the law to sell electrical appliances that are not UL-listed.
At Alaska Northern Lights, we base our light therapy and light box information on a variety of accepted scientific studies and not on the opinions of a few individuals. Research has shown that in light therapy, the light’s intensity is the key, not UV rays. UV rays are considered a liability and a health problem with the eyes and skin. Our light box produces no UV-A or UV-C rays and no measurable amount of UV-B. We block any remaining UV rays with our UV diffuser screen.
Tags: Light box, Light Therapy, LUX, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD
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