Re: S.A.D - Seasonal Affective Disorder
 

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Victor I might have an occur I might not be able to refuse [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

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dean im not sure what an "occur" is.

anyway, my post was a bit of a joke but on a semiserious note, did you just not know how bad winter can get in cities like chicago? im not sure of what winter is like in britain.

i live in cleveland so the winter is similiar, tho i think chicago is worse. ive found that im a lot happier if i do get outside, despite the cold. jogging in the cold is pretty doable.

now, march/apr is by far the worst time of the year. im sick of winter and just hoping it ends soon but it can drag on for weeks and monthes. snow in april is normal enough. at least at the start of winter there is football to watch.

[censored] this im moving to cali.

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Victor I meant offer - and I live in Chicago right now and have experience the nastiness - Im really really not looking forward to 5 more years of this, but I might have to make that sacrifice.

Re: S.A.D - Seasonal Affective Disorder
 

Light therapy is a reasonable potential therapy. Combining SSRI and light therapy is advised against at least until such time as both have failed individually. (This is by consensus statement, without study evidence to back it up.)
Tanning beds are absolutely not an acceptable treatment. It seems to specifically require light that gets to your eyes. Fluorescent preferable to incandescent. Specifically designed commercial boxes are distinctly preferred (to reduce the theoretical chance of retinal damage in comparison to homemade boxes). Full spectrum light is not necessary. Higher intensity light for shorter time periods is equivalent to lower intensity for longer periods. Start with a 10-15 minute session and work up towards two 30 minute sessions per day. Probably best when combined with a program of daily outdoor walking. Light therapy is probably not a good idea for those who have bipolar disorder, as it seems to have a possibility inducing mania or hypomania. Also contraindicated in those with suicidal ideation. Commercial boxes seem to cost 200-500 dollars. Insurance may cover it.

The study comparing light therapy to SSRI has a reasonable, but not great design. They have two arms in the study, one with placebo drug and real light, the other with placebo light and real drug. They should have had a third arm, that being a double placebo arm.

There, now that you've finished reading that--the winter is over.