My mother always hated Christmas.
That fact about my childhood always stands out in my mind. Although we decorated the house inside and out, went Christmas caroling as a family the weekend before Christmas, and were active in all our church celebrations; even though there were always lots of brightly colored gifts under the tree for everyone; even though we participated actively in the Toys for Tots and other seasonal community service programs. And even though all of us kids were giddy with anticipation in the weeks leading up to Dec. 25.
My mother still hated Christmas, and her feelings always affected the holiday activities of our family.
It was not until I was a teenager that I began to understand what she had was a health issue, not just an attitude issue. As soon as the garden was out in the fall, as soon as we started making Halloween costumes for the annual town Halloween parade and costume contest, mom started acting weird. She would get unreasonably happy about holiday preparations, then unreasonably sad. Then she would just get angry at everyone all the time.
She had seasonal affective disorder, of course, but back then it was not a diagnosed problem. Today, looking back, the symptoms are easy to recognize.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes called the "winter blues," is a specific type of depression that occurs every year, and begins to affect a person as soon as the days start to grow shorter in the fall. The most common symptoms are depression or a feeling of hopelessness; anxiety; loss of energy and oversleeping; craving for carbs or sweets and weight gain; difficulty concentrating or remembering; social withdrawal.
While SAD is considered to be a specific type of depression disorder, it is quite often tied to bipolar disease. Because of this, it is very important anyone who experiences these symptoms two or more years in a row see their physician for a full physical and mental workup. The physical workup is important, because many of these symptoms are also linked to autoimmune disorders, thyroid disease or other physical ailments. But if the SAD is linked to bipolar disease, then the type of treatment has to take that disorder into account as well.
There are many different treatment options for SAD, depending on your particular version of the disorder. However, in almost all cases, the first order of business is to add light to your life. The shortening of the days and less sunlight is generally accepted as being the trigger for this disorder. Different sources make different recommendations about adding sunlight, and these range from purchasing a light box and observing a strict regimen of light therapy, to simply adding more florescent lighting to your home. Florescent lights, rather than incandescent lights, seem to decrease the symptoms right away, in some cases in as little as a couple of days.
But sunlight is the most important element of the treatment, and all sources recommend opening or eliminating blinds and curtains during the daylight hours to allow as much sunlight into your home as possible. Also, it is recommended that you spend an extended period of time outdoors in the sunlight, even on overcast days, and within two hours of getting out of bed in the morning.
There are also several antidepressant and other drugs that have proven effective in some cases. Because of the possibility of a tie to physical or other mental illness, however, you should NEVER start taking drugs for treatment of any type of depression or other disorder before having a full physical and mental workup.
There is no test for SAD. The causes are unknown, and there is no cure. Treatment is life-long, and if you have a family member with this disorder it is vitally important that you give that person your support every single day. With the holiday festivities approaching, we all need to do whatever we can to help everyone in our family enjoy the celebrations to come.
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