Seasonal Affective Disorder

[handlemecarefully]

Anybody bought a light box to treat SAD? - and if so, where did you get it and has it helped?

[sweetmonkey]

i will be interested to see the answers to this as dp is suffering terribly at mo. hope if it is this that we can get it sorted

[handlemecarefully]

If we get any answers Sweetmonkey - I posted this thread under "Other subjects" a few hours ago, and the silence was deafening!

I suppose light boxes are not yet widely used...

[zippitippitoes]

you used to be able to get grants towards the cost but i imaginbe they are not as expensive now as they used to be

[sweetmonkey]

i had a look on a site and they are about £150 upwards
bit too much for me to spend

[sweetmonkey]

blimey HMC i see what you mean about the answers.

[Elibean]

My DH has had a light box for about six years, and it makes an ENORMOUS difference. He has really acute SAD, and every September right on cue he starts to lose weight, feel sleepy all the time (esp in the afternoon) and look dreadful. Once he starts the light, he feels better fast - uses it for fifteen minutes in the morning, and for fifteen in the afternoon if he gets a chance (self-employed, weird hours, usually can). I'll ask him where he got the most recent one...they are expensive, but should last for years: he's onto his second one, but only because the first one was huge and cumbersome and not practical once we had a toddler bouncing on the bed in the mornings! Post later...

[Kaz33]

How do you know if you need one?

I definitely suffer from mildish depression and have done so all my life. Winters are definitely more difficult and I tend to come alive again in early spring.

[Elibean]

Apollo Golite P1 (blue light) is what DH has got, apparently. He says anyone interested should look at the Apollo website (have to google that, sorry) because different lights are made for different needs. Then, when you've identified which one (if any) you want, try and find it on a British website - because then it comes with a British plug. Also, you can shop around and find them a bit cheaper (not much). His cost between £150-200 (he can't remember, blame parenthood) but its a real investment - he can function normally, is cheerful etc, and without it he's seriously depressed.

Hope that helps...

[fennel]

i have one it cost £200 and you're supposed to only need it for about 30 mins a day.

my friend has a nice little portable one, which looks great (mine is large and not portable at all) but you need to use it for 2 hours a day. hers cost about £100.

they both came from a website called something like SAD Lightbox co. which had a range of boxes.
mine is called Super-Lite 3S.

I think you can rent them for a month to try them out.

i think it helps. what helps more for me is a long holiday somewhere sunny but that's not always easy to arrange.

[handlemecarefully]

Thanks fennel and elibean - I definitely would prefer one that you only have to use for half an hour, even if a more expensive model. I'll check out that website Elibean.

Kaz33: I know I suffer from SAD because I am happy and carefree between April to September, then some time in the Autumn I start to feel flat and low, and generally down - even though my life circumstances haven't changed and there is 'nothing' to feel depressed about. The symtoms get steadily worse and I reach my lowest point around Jan / February.

Other recognised symptoms are being tired all the time and needing more sleep (in contrast to other types of depression where sufferers are often unable to sleep), some sufferers also crave carbohydrates and starchy foods and gain weight

But mostly, it's if there is a recognised and reliable pattern of you feeling miserable during the winter months....

[Elibean]

DH's is very small - the blue light one - and he only uses it for a max of 20 minutes, once or twice a day. He's a gadget fuss-pot, but very happy with it. Good luck! xxC

[Mytwopenceworth]

what helps me more than anything is my alarm clock. i got it off the net and it has a light which gradually gets brighter from about half an hour before the time you set the alarm to go off. by the time the alarm goes, it is very bright - it is to simulate dawn! and you have been absorbing it before you are even awake! I get up more easily and feeling brighter and it really helps the start of my day.

[fennel]

mytwopenceworth - i liked the look of the SAD alarm clocks too. but am already woken rather too amply by small children. no chance of gradual wakening in our house really.

HMC i also have those symptoms. for years I used to just cry and not cope with things in January, also used to put on a stone or more in weight every year at that time. it took years to realise it was always at that time of year. then,when march came, I'd cheer up, feel more energetic, and the weight would go.

it's very clear to me that it's SAD. but I think DP and dd1 also show symptoms, milder than mine. we are a sun-craving family

Lightboxes are also good for giving really bright light to do crafts by.

[Angela2005]

Kaz23 - sounds like you probably have SAD to me. Apparently the lights can be helpful for people with "normal" depression anyway.

You can ask your GP but they probably won't know! One of mine didn't; they suggested I see if I feel better after a week's holiday in the sun I was about to go on - um, well, yes, but surely anyone would feel better after a week's holiday anyway.

[Angela2005]

www.allergymatters.co.uk/acatalog/Light_Therapy_Units.html
bother, i wrote a long msg and it's disappeared! too tired to retype. maybe tomorrow...

[Angela2005]

okay so if anyone finds this cos they are looking for info on SAD, CAT me. I did some research!

[BahHumbugBadgerBadger]

I'm sure I have it, I'm also sure I recall chatting about this each winter on MN but never usually doing anything about it!

I am definitely going to look into getting a light box this year!

[peachandpear]

A friend of mine uses special light bulbs and he says they are brilliant. I am waiting for him to send me a link on them cos I thought of getting some this winter.

[Issymum]

Freaky. MotherInferior and I were just about to set up a SAD thread. Over the last few years I've got SAD quite badly, culminating in an emotional breakdown in mid-February and a total recovery by mid-March. According to my neighbour (so anecdotal rather than fact) SAD gets worse as you get older. Like most things......

Over the last few weeks, I've felt like I'm struggling through a permanent night. I'm sad, tired and fantasise endlessly about emigrating to just about anywhere that has blue skies and endless, clear, bright light (heat irrelevant). But I have just bought a lumie brightspark desklamp and a lumie 'false dawn' alarm clock via this website OutsideIn and will report back on how effective they are. My working week is split between home and the office, so I may need to invest in two lights to get the full effect. Worth it if it prevents me from collapsing into a sobbing heap in February.

My company has thoughtfully organised a conference in Miami for the end of January as well. Wehey!!

[Easy]

Yes, we have one, bought it mail-order, I'll try to find a link.

I definately feel less tired at the end of the day if I use it. It sits in the office near my computer screen, and on dim-dingey days like this it's on all day until about 4 p.m.

I sleep better, and tend to get much less depressed over the winter

[fennel]

Issymum, I think mine is milder as i get older. but mainly I think that's because I now recognise it and deal with it - have lightbox on as I write, have also just booked a "work" trip to Lisbon for a few days in mid-Dec.

also now i don't blame myself when I am down and useless in Jan/Feb. I used to get angry and feel a failure at that time of year, now I just blame the weather not my own inadequacy. ditto for the weight gain.