Seasonal Affective Disorder Support Group
Seasonal affective disorder, also known as S.A.D., winter depression or the winter blues is an affective, or mood, disorder. Most SAD sufferers experience normal mental health throughout most of the year, but experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer. The condition in the summer is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder. Seasonal mood...
Hi. I am new to the group. I have SAD along with bipolar disorder.
SAD makes a mess out of my mood disorder. It's like I have 2 different types of depression- one from the bipolar disorder and one from SAD! To me, the two types of depression "feel" different.
I use a 10,000 lux desk lamp first thing when I wake up. If my "dose" or timed minutes are too low for too many days, I become "depressed." I am not really blue like in bipolar depression, I just don't feel vibrantly alive. However, with bipolar disorder, it's my opinion that my bipolar depressive mood swing is more disabling and I really feel like I can't function.
It seems that my SAD has complicated my bipolar by causing me to swing more into depression when I spend too little time under the Bright Light Lamp.
It's very frustrating that I know where to get help for bipolar but I have to do self-treatment for SAD.
I did consult with my psychiatrist before trying to Bright Light desk lamp. He had said that it could not hurt me- my mood swings were controlled by a lot of med's. So far, the lamp really helps but my bipolar and lamp dose mistakes hurt me somewhat. I am still learning about SAD after 12 years.
SAD makes a mess out of my mood disorder. It's like I have 2 different types of depression- one from the bipolar disorder and one from SAD! To me, the two types of depression "feel" different.
I use a 10,000 lux desk lamp first thing when I wake up. If my "dose" or timed minutes are too low for too many days, I become "depressed." I am not really blue like in bipolar depression, I just don't feel vibrantly alive. However, with bipolar disorder, it's my opinion that my bipolar depressive mood swing is more disabling and I really feel like I can't function.
It seems that my SAD has complicated my bipolar by causing me to swing more into depression when I spend too little time under the Bright Light Lamp.
It's very frustrating that I know where to get help for bipolar but I have to do self-treatment for SAD.
I did consult with my psychiatrist before trying to Bright Light desk lamp. He had said that it could not hurt me- my mood swings were controlled by a lot of med's. So far, the lamp really helps but my bipolar and lamp dose mistakes hurt me somewhat. I am still learning about SAD after 12 years.
I use the light too. some years I have to use Lexapro.
I also had a big change after I started taking Vitamin D3...I had my levels tested and they were actually low...I was taking 1000 mg. and now for the winter, I am up to 4000. Seems to have really helped. Not that I don't have the dull non alive feeling days, but I am not as draggy.
I think I should have done the lexapro this year, but by the time it kicks in, it will be almost spring and my trouble is weaning off it...feels like the flu to me. soooooo, I will wait it out until next year. lesson learned.
welcome!
I was told by someone about taking Vitamin D but read in a medical book that it is possible to take too much, so I was afraid because I also have bipolar. I'll have to ask about Vitamin D. Thanks.
I am now dosing quite a bit. An hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. But last night I stayed away from 2 am.... on... Hopefully I will nap later, but I need to find the balance and not dose so much late at night.
Best of luck to you. I had my d vitamin levels and b12 levels checked. They are good.