Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - did moving help?

[cs45]

Vitamin D has worked wonders for me not only in the winter, but the whole year. I take 6,000 IU's a day with a meal that has some fat in it.

[49erfan916]

Originally Posted by AZgarden

My adult daughter had quite a problem with SAD during the gloom in Fall and winter in Chicago. She took some medication, gained alot of weight, so went off it. Then we moved to Phoenix and walla !! The amount of sun here is practically 99 percent. We even wish for some gloomy days and rain, for a change. It obviously helped her alot and she says she will never move back there for any reason. Besides the lack of sun, the dirty snow, rusted overpasses and old buildings in Chicago don't help to raise your mood.

I know that this is an old post but this is part of the reason why I would want to move to Phoenix. I THINK (self diagnosed) that I may have some version of S.A.D. I like to stay in my bed and not do ANYTHING when it's winter and I am more out and about when it's summer. I also tend to gain more weight during the winter. Exercising is a chore during the winter but easier during the summer. And while I am a naturally lethargic person, I do get more energized during the summer.

[AZgarden]

Glad you updated the thread ! Daughter is still in Phoenix, still doing well. Loves the sun. I moved to Prescott, due to way too much sun in Phoenix. I am more of a 4 seasons person, and when it snowed here for one day, I was ecstatic ! You need to come to Phoenix in the winter and see if it helps you. Staying in bed doing nothing is no way to live. JMHO

[lavenderstarbelly]

I know this is 3 years later but as a person with major SAD I would say moving pretty much saved me. I grew up in OK and never had symptoms, moved to Minneapolis and my symptoms would get worse every year. I lived there for 8 years. I had very manic symptoms in this last years, crying every morning for no reason, immobility, etc.

I moved to Chicago to take a teaching job thinking the weather would be better, HAAA. Chicago was where I finally vowed to move to a sunny place regardless of pay or other practical considerations. Chicago is also just a very depressing city. So much bad energy. Everyone there seemed depressed to me. All of my students were depressed. What's really sad is that a lot of people will never be able to afford to leave Chicago due to generational poverty.

Moved to the California desert after that year and my symptoms are completely gone. I almost don't even notice or think about it because here I feel NORMAL and I never felt normal in the midwest.

I always felt like I was wasting my life living in these places because I was always just waiting for winter to be over and I only felt like my whole self for a few months of the year.

Did you move???

[nmnita]

I really don't think any of us consider Jan to be a fun month. First we do deal with the bad weather and it is still to soon to concentrate on the spring ahead. The holidays are over and family has returned to the normal life. Cold grey days are ahead of us. By Feb we can start thinking of the grass turning green, the birds returning, the flowers blooming and beauty of the season. I do get a little down this time of the year. We hate to go outside and freeze but we get tired of sitting in the house staring at the grey sky. This being said, I have never really thought I was dealing with SAD. The mood swings I do face I have had everywhere we have lived, whether So. Cal. or VA or here in NWA. I have always thought it was a combination of the end of the wonderful holidays and the crappy weather. Just remember, we only have a few more weeks, maybe a month before we will see signs of spring, even if it is just the dafadils starting to peak up a bit.