Seasonal
affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have
normal mental health throughout most
of the year experience depressive symptoms
in the winter or summer, spring
or autumn year after year. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), SAD is not a unique mood disorder, but is "a
specifier of major depression"
Symptoms of SAD may consist
of difficulty waking up in the morning, morning sickness, tendency to oversleep
and over eat, especially a craving for carbohydrates, which leads to weight
gain. Other symptoms include a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating on or
completing tasks, and withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities
and decreased sex drive. All of
this leads to depression, pessimistic feelings of hopelessness, and lack of
pleasure which characterize a person suffering from this disorder.
Here's what I have to say about it:
It blows.
SAD is common in those with Fibromyalgia and in fact, it's also common in all with an auto-immune disease. Eh-heh. More reason for me to believe Fibro's an auto-immune disease. Ya see, people with an auto-immune disease are already a wee bit low in Serotonin, the happy chemical released in your brain. Most people release so much a day, as to keep depression at bay. Those with auto-immune diseases don't make as much. That's why depression is most often a symptom of all auto-immune diseases. Did you also know that people who live in the northern states (or just in places with less sunshine :) are more likely to develop an auto-immune disease due to lack of sunshine? Didn't have Fibro symptoms or a diagnosis until I moved up here...mmmm.... Hubby and I are both plagued by SAD. I have Fibro, he has Type One Diabetes (an auto-immune disease, commonly called Juvenile Diabetes.) We never got SAD in Texas. Plenty of sunshine, (headed my way, sorry, had to) no snow, and hardly ever a cloudy day. Whooeee, Idaho changed all of that for us. It snows an average of 6 months! Why, that's downright scandalous for us Southern folk. Who's ever heard of such a thing? It's not just non-stop snow, it's dark and depressing. It's dark right now as I'm writing this, at 5:30 p.m. Oy vey. Winter in Texas may be chilly, ahem, like 45 degrees, but the sun's still shinning on those cold days. We're still sweating in November and can be swimming as early as February. Darlin', we don't do SAD in dem parts. It's so bad up here, the University my hubby's attending, offers free light therapy to everyone in the area. Yes, you sit in front of a light and feel all better. Turns out your brain needs the sun. ;) If I weren't so tired and feeling like the world's gonna end tomorrow, (or December 21st ;) I'd actually go do it. Eh, turns out I'm too tired. We're getting feet of snow tonight, sigh... not to mention today was dark and gloomy. I went to bed earlier last night, completely exhausted, slept in later than usual and just woke up from a nap. I heard baby crying from his nap. "Honey, baby's awake!" No answer. Ok, I'll get him. Hubby was passed out on the couch. We've been zombies today, totally exhausted. I can't believe how this can effect you. Mentally, physically and emotionally. I have no desire to do anything. The house could be swept up in a tornado (see, we're Texans...) and I'd ask it to quiet down so I could sleep. That's all I want to do. Feels like my energy has been completely sucked out of me. Curse you, Dementors!
Hubby and I will be completely out of commission for the next, oh until he graduates and we move out of here, which will be around, mmm, 9 more weeks? After my fifth year of surviving Idaho's winters, I can do another 9 weeks, right? Right, I can, right? Please tell me I can!!!!
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