Front page | Health and fitness | Sports | Internet guide | E-mail the Herald
Winter Days Can Mean Depression For Many | |
By DR. GREGORY R. ALSIP As the short, cold days of winter draw closer, so does the risk of a psychiatric condition that is strongly related to exposure to light - seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is an unusual kind of depression that occurs during the winter months. It was first identified in the early 1980s by Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, a psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health. Most SAD patients oversleep, overeat, crave carbohydrates and put on weight, in addition to having mood changes such as depression and anxiety. However, a minority of patients report the more typical symptoms of depression: eating less, sleeping less and loss of weight. Seasonal affective disorder may be part of a major depressive disorder. The treatment of SAD may include a strategy to counter the patients experience of the short winter days. It is based on increased exposure to light. Patients are encouraged to spend more time out of doors, to take walks, and even to take vacations to sunny places. Aerobic exercise may also be helpful. Patients can increase their exposure to light at home by buying a commercially available light box that delivers 20 times more illumination than ordinary indoor lighting. Improvement can come from as little as 15 to 30 minutes a day exposure to the light from such a lamp. Patients are advised not to stare into the lamp but to engage in an activity, such as reading a book, and to glance at the lamp periodically. It's believed that light therapy works by affecting the brain center that sets an individual's biological clock. A physician should be consulted before undertaking light treatment. If light therapy alone does not relieve the symptoms, medications may be prescribed. They include antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft) and bupropion (Wellbutrin). Using medications in combination with light therapy and psychotherapy often gives the best results. The risk of SAD varies with geographic location, age and sex. The incidence is higher in northern latitudes, where winter days are shorter. Younger people are at higher risk than seniors. And just as ordinary depression is more common among women, so is the incidence of SAD. Women are believed to represent at least 60 percent of seasonal affective disorder patients. Some people do not have all the symptoms of SAD, but simply feel a little down during the winter months. In such cases, the condition may be helped by behavioral techniques, more exercise and more time spent outdoors. --- Dr. Gregory R. Alsip is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. Copyright 1996 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | |