Sad

Jack B. Badd

Firstly, I know the story about this not being a medical forum and all the stupidity that goes with self-diagnosis by internet but I recently came across a list of the symptoms associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder and well, they sound pretty applicable to me.
The past few years I've been finding myself getting very depressed for no good reason between the months of October and April. Last year was particularly bad, I was constantly tired and run down, waking up feeling depressed in the mornings, having crying fits in the evenings and general loss of self esteem. At the time I put it down to a very heavy workload in college as I was in final year and since I was feeling better by the end of the college year I figured that was that and went on to have a fine summer. Up to a week or two ago I was feeling great but recently I've noticed myself becoming once again more moody and irritable and last night I ended up crying on and off for a few hours without knowing why except I had this overwhelming feeling of, for want of a better word, emptiness. I'm not going to say that I'm definitely experiencing SAD but seeing as what I'm feeling at the moment is very similar to what I experienced last year, I'd appreciated it if any SAD sufferers out there would be able to give me advice on the problem. Mostly I'm wondering if my GP is the best person to talk to about this, because at the moment I can't think of anyone else...
Thanks, Jack.

Edit: the title of this should be in capitals; S A D

DirkVoodoo

If you have a good GP with whom you have a good relationship then YES, they are the person to talk to.

LegacyUser

Both myself and my boyfriend suffer from SAD. Never been to a doctor about it though. October is the beginning of the depression for both of us. We both start eating more and putting on weight. The weight gain adds to the desire to avoid social contact. My boyfriend gets extremely moody during these months when he has to get up for work early. We are always so tired, I even take naps during the day. Its a complete personality change for us during these months. We are planning on eventually settling down in a warm country where SAD is extremely rare.
It first hit me when I was 18(i'm now 26). My then bf rang my sister and told her he thought I was suffering from SAD, I was so irritable, moody, emotional, tired, just had no desire to do anything. Come March, I'm in great form again.
I've heard of light treatment but haven't tried it yet.

sexkitten

Do you exercise much? Do you eat well? Do you go out at the weekends and drink lots?

I ask things questions because weather you notice it or not you’d be more inclined to exercise more during the summer, walks, doing outdoor stuff. You eat healthier during the summer too. Fruit and and Salads etc..

Maybe your not doing enough exercise and not eating the right foods.

I find walking in the evenings even tho its dark helps me feel a lot better. Eat well too and you might feel better for it.

When I find myself getting lazy and not eating the right foods I feel tired, emotional and never have energy to do anything and feeling pretty lousy.

Beetlebum

I'm really glad that I read your post cause I'm feeling the exact same way. I've been on the brink of tears all day for no good reason and spent yesterday evening sitting in my room trying to reassure myself that everything's gonna be okay. I woke up this morning feeling really low and have been reminding myself all day of the good things in my life and life in general. It's a horrible feeling and I don't really know how to shake it. I'm not sure what advice to give you, all I can tell you is that you're not alone in feeling this way. Chin up I suppose!!

Black Swan

Hi Jack B! Sorry to hear of your malady. You are always so much fun to play with at TCN! I did not have SAD, but was depressed as a kid a few years ago (but not now). You should consult your GP.

Jack B. Badd

sexkitten: To be honest, I'm pretty crap at the whole exercise thing but that's all year round. I'm trying recently to be a bit more healthy - going out for walks when it's dry and work allows. I do eat reasonably well all year round, lots of fruit and veg, because if I don't I'll be a very unhappy bunny.

Since starting the thread I've made an effort to be out in the sun for at least half an hour a day and for the past few days I've been feeling better - even ended up having a bit of a manic giggling session on my walk to work yesterday. But while that's fine during sunny winter days, I still tend to get somewhat emotional in the evenings. Also I get the feeling that once the weather turns I'll be back to miserable again Any ideas how one deals with the notorious Irish weather in this situation?
Oh, and since I do have a good relationship with my GP I will be discussing this with her. Unfortunately I'll have to wait a week or so to do this so I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on my mood til then.

Talliesin

You can't know you're suffering from SAD until you've been diagnosed as such (even then it's more a matter of, "well so-and-so with such-and-such credentials thought so" rather than proven fact).

If you do have SAD then sunlight and full-spectrum artificial light (as a rule artificial light is not full-spectrum, unless it's labelled as such - and bloody expensive - you can assume it isn't) will help.

The efficacy of light threatment is such that it's almost taken as a diagnostic aid (if you don't benefit from light threatment then you probably don't have SAD and something else is making you depressed during the winter)

There are other seasonal factors that can affect one's moods though, and these (or SAD) can occur in conjunction with other psychological problems such as other causes of depression, which complicates things. Depression coinciding with the seasons does not in itself mean you definitely have SAD.

In all - go to a doctor.

chamlis

Alot of people don't realise that depression of any sort has highs as well as lows.
It's like a wave.
Your "manic giggling session" could be evidence to suggest propper depression, though again not clear evidence of SAD.

GP for answers I suppose.....

Lust4Life

You need a buddy to make you get outside when it is sunny.
I have a friend who lives down the block from me who suffers from this and I force her to get out and walk with me when the sun is shining and it does help her -- once she gets over the initial pillar of having to spend time around bubbly ole me!

free2fly

I cried last night too. For no apparent reason. And I am feeling really down today as well. I don't think it is the weather though. It's sunny and beautiful here today.

If you are experiencing this on a regular basis OP it would be best to tell your GP.

LegacyUser

I can relate to the OP most definitely. I am living out of Ireland for 4 years now in Sunny Florida. I remember when October would come in and the dark nights and dark mornings would kill me. It would totally affect me. Getting up to go to work when its dark and coming home when its dark was horrible. Now that I live in Florida, the weather here autumn through spring are beautiful. Sun is always shinning and its bright when you get up in the morning, with the Sun shining and the birds chirping, it’s the way to start the day. I did not think about this until I read this post and thought back to those wet windy cold days of winter time….

The sun defiantly helps along with a warm climate

Esel

chamlis wrote:

Alot of people don't realise that depression of any sort has highs as well as lows. It's like a wave......

Not true. Bipolar (aka Manic) Depression is the one with the highs (manic episodes) and lows (depressed episodes). The 'wave' as you call it, can have a very long frequency, so these episodes can each last a long time. It's not that you're 'up' one day and 'down' the next.

To contrast with Bipolar Depression, 'regular' Depression is also classified as Unipolar Depression.

@OP - Investigate the availability of light therapy for SAD on the web. Prices have come way down since this was first introduced.

feylya

I've had SAD for the past few years. It's been flaring up again recently which absolutely sucks. I've been on medication for it all year but I'm getting seriously angry and depressed recently again which isn't much fun. Go to the doctor anyway. It's an incredibly common condition in Ireland.

LundiMardi

You know, it's depressing as hell waking up in the morning when it's miserable, soon to be dark (depending on when you wake up), soon it's going to be pretty much dark when people leave work.... Overall i wouldn't have thought this was an uncommon thing because from my experience, everyone has it to some degree.

feylya

Just think how many people don't see any sunlight during the winter. Getting up when it's dark, sitting in an office all day, leaving when it's dark.

Ruu_Old

Two people I have talked to today have told me how depressed they are, always at this time of year. It is fairly common as mentioned. Go to your doctor anyway and good luck.

Nevyn

Well yes everyone has it to some degree we are affected by the seeming death of the plant life arround us and the moving into the winter which was a time of rest after the long years work and harvest.

We are not THAT far of from being an agri bases culture that the tide and times of the season don't effect us.

Winter is ment to be a time of less work and staying out of the weather and doing work at home and in doors.

It is unnatural to do as much work and as much actives in the dark months.

SAD as a condition is more the the winter blues, it is a form of depression which can be cripplings.

Really if you think you may have it go to the dr get help even if it is accepting that there is something wrong
and learning to mind yourself and manage it with or with medication.

Hackman

A teacher of mine suffered from this condition. He said the best way to counteract it was taking supplementary vitamins and exercising. Something to do with increasind endorphines (?).

He also made a point of getting out into daylight as much as possible; not easy for a teacher...

theTinker

SAD too wrote:

I've heard of light treatment but haven't tried it yet.

oh my, you should defintely try it, its not a cure, but it can completely or partially allievate the symptoms just by flicking a switch.
Seems terrible to have problems like yours if they can be treated with such a simple thing. You could have it running up and running in a day or 2 if u decide to do it.

cluborange86

i hate this time of year so i think i supper from sad as well. the reason i hate this time of year is cause i lost my brother some years ago.

everything in my life seems worse from about september till march, i miss that happy feeling when everything in your life is going exactly the way you would have wanted and waking up actually wanting to get out of bed, which at the moment is the biggest struggle of the day

paulac

yeah, I'm the same. I suffer from sad as well. I''ve been looking to get an artificial sunrise alarm clock or light therapy box. I can't find any in the shops and everything on the net seems so expensive. Does anyone know where you can buy these things?

You can get a lightbox and body clocks from www.brighterday.ie
They are expensive but cheaper than a holiday to the southern hemisphere (or a couple of weekends out in Dublin)

Jack B. Badd

Still haven't managed to get around to seeing a GP I have a good history with (I do want to get this checked out and not just put it off until I'm feeling low again) but I've noticed that making an effort to be more social and not dwell on things seems to be making a difference. Good to know that the lightboxes are available to Ireland Thanks for all the advise, guys.

craichoe

I think alot of it may be to do with the state of the country in general. Why is it that so many irish people drink so much, get so depressed ?

The quality of living here sucks, its not just one thing but a culmination of everything, the weather, the public transport, the healthcare, the people. The way of life is changing for the worst, were becoming so americanised, even down to the Quarter Pounder vs the Royale.

If you've lived in another country in europe you'll find that generally there is much more to do than just go to the pub or stand in the lashing rain for an hour while you wait for the bus to turn up, so you can get completely off your face.

I recently visited a city in Europe with friends and to be honest it wasnt just because we were on holidays, but there IS things to do besides drink and the focus is not on getting p*ssed. There was a political demonstration and it wasnt anything along the lines of what you'd see here. It wasnt alot of sour unhappy people standing around with the "SIPTU - Industrial Action" they had music and food and drink and everyone was relaxed and sitting on the grass.

Now to be honest if i had the options to go out and do these things and not do the same things over and over and had the option to get on a train and go to wherever and have these options available to me, i think i would prefer it.

Hence i've come to the conclusion that going away for the weekend here is total b*llocks. Everything is overpriced and YOU HAVE TO DRIVE. The stress alone of getting from cork to dublin is enough to work anyones weekend away.

So perhaps it might be worth your while to consider leaving ireland for 6 months to a year, i'm not saying that its necessarily better to move abroad, but maybe it would give you some perspective as to where you are in your life.

Ireland does not have anywhere near the lowest quality of life in the world, but saying that money brings happiness is the age old question that has been proven wrong time and time again.