Seasonal Affective Disorder in Denver

[NaeRolls]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

It beats the PNW, at least. I'm one who would love to have 16 hours of sunshine (leaving 8 hours for sleep) every single day of the year. If I have to stand in a shadow on an otherwise sunny day, my mood plummets to suicidal despair. My therapist told me to take hour long walks on sunny winter mornings. This actually does seem to help - if it's a sunny morning and if the roads and walkways have been shoveled. Other than that, you could try heavy drinking until the spring equinox.

Wow, that is some serious sensitivity to light fluctuation!

Originally Posted by DenverBrian

I'd posit that SAD is going to be an issue anywhere in the continental US, depending on your triggers - days of overcast, rain, cold, winter days, etc.

Perhaps Hawaii is the place for people with SAD. Sunrise at 7, sunset at 7. A bit of rain at 3. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Yep, I am under no illusion that I will be completely without SAD somewhere else. But certain areas of the country are going to be much worse. I had a touch of SAD in South Carolina, whereas Northeast Ohio can be brutal for me.

Originally Posted by ironlady

I grew up in Texas, spent my 20s in Los Angeles, and never believed SAD was a real disorder until it hit me hard when I moved to Michigan. Wow. I could not figure out what happened to me. One month into our first winter, I told my husband, "You better get me out of here." I, too, struggled with suicidal despair. It took four years, but we finally made it back to the Denver area. I do not have it at all here--I guess for me, I get a suitable amount of sunshine and Vitamin D. But then again, I developed a lot of habits to keep depression at bay. I run most every day. I run to burn off the crazy.

SAD is the real deal! I was actually in upper Michigan this fall for a week, and I could feel the SAD symptoms starting much earlier than they do in Ohio.

Originally Posted by JoeCT33145

"Also, anyone thinking Florida will help their severe SAD needs to do a lot of research. I have been following the weather in Sarasota and it often looks partly cloudy to rain and cloudy this winter. I think there are places in Florida that might not help the extreme SAD sufferer. There is a man on one of the SAD boards who moved to an area near Sarasota and says it has really helped him, but he still got on the SAD board as he still struggles a bit in winter there, but just not as much"

I want to say, I live in Miami, and I do suffer with mild depression, here is so bright most year around even with overcast skies, SAD suffers might actually look for cloudy days just to get a relief from so much sun.

Having lived in Charleston, South Carolina, I totally understand what you are saying. The summers there were intense, but I seemed to manage much better through brutal summers than the winter light deprivation of the midwest.

[alloo66]

I've never had SAD in the Border States except N California. Been fine in San Antonio, TX, Albuquerque, NM, and Phoenix, AZ. I was starting to get SAD in December in the weeks up to XMAS. Not sure if its SAD or loneliness of the holidays or from being around the snow storms.

[DenverMetroGal]

Denver is one of the most cheerful places and I credit that to the sunshine. It's hard being cranky when it's sunny out! We do get a little testy if its been rainy for a couple days in a row but that's a rare occurrence. I think you'll like the weather and sunshine here.