SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER-Arizona or Florida for Help (Phoenix: to live, estimated) - (AZ) - Page 5 - City-Data Forum

dairytosun · 08-03-2008, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinda

Is there anyone who had Seasonal Affective Disorder while you lived in another part of the country and now moved to Arizona? Could you please let me know how and if it helped. I would assume with all the sunshine it would help a great deal. Does it cure it completely? I have been trying to decide where to live. It is between the The Villages in Florida or Arizona. I am leaning toward Arizona because of the dry hot climate must be healthier.

Has anyone lived in both places? How do you feel in Arizona. Seasonal Affective Disorder has taken over my life and I am having a difficult time dealing with it for almost 8 months a year.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Dear Pinda,

I don't know if anyone will even see my response since you were all having this conversation a FULL year ago! I read all the threads and when you said you were from Wisconsin...well I just had to write even more! I moved to Florida in February 2008 from Wisconsin but since I haven't lived here through a fall/winter cycle yet I can only pray that my decision was the best one for me. I would agree with people who said dry/humid is a personal decision. I love the beauty of the west but dry is NOT good for me.

I started looking at moving south a few years ago and determined at one point that North Carolina was the "perfect" combination to get as much as you can out of a location. However, at the time I didn't know anyone there so it felt like a huge leap to pursue.

After reading Rosenthal's book on SAD (Winter Blues) I began to think about Florida which to be honest was never on my radar in my life! In fact I had never been to Florida (one of the few states I had not visited on my adventures in life). I have family in Texas so that was a pursuit. The irony is that a job came up for me in Florida that I didn't even have to pursue...it was almost handed to me. This as a result of having met someone at a conference in Baltimore who moved from Chicago to FL!

Okay, so basically being from Wisconsin and knowing the SAD impact can be 6-8 months (you lose HALF of your life...not to depress you further if you haven't moved to Arizona or FL) but that is no way to live. Good for you to do some research about where to go. I can't tell you how well I will be doing come October/November but I am told by a doctor here that I will feel better living in FL than WI. She did say there is still some effect with less light after daylight savings but it is subtle. This was good to know so that expectations aren't sky high.

I have a friend who experiences SAD and she has a brother in Arizona...so for her I might suggest she go to AZ to have an anchor for her. If TX had a good job for me I would have gone there.

I sure hope that somehow you see my posting because I would love to know what you decided and if you have moved or not. I will tell you that this is the first August that I have not started to feel that layer of apprehension about the impending fall! That is a good sign. The heat does tend to keep people indoors down here from May-September but I just look at it as the inverse of WI when we tend to stay indoors from November-March. It is a matter of what you can LIVE with. Literally. I am fairskinned as well. I have some allergies but can't really tell you the "season" down here since I had them in spring/fall in WI with pollen and ragweed.

I really enjoyed reading EVERYONE's comments on this topic because it reminded me why I moved here when although optimistic, I of course feel some concerns; a little bit curious about how well I will do when the REAL test of fall comes.

Best of luck to you Pinda! You deserve to live 12 months of the year in good health but even if a move means you still have a a couple of months of some blues or even despair that is so much better than what WI "does" to people who experience severe SAD.

From one surviving "bear" to another, hope this helps!

dairytosun

pinda · 08-30-2008, 12:16 PM

DiarytoSun,
I did see your post. Thank you so much for letting me know about your big move. When I visited both Arizona and Florida in November, I had so much energy. When I was in California and Florida in January and February I was just a bit more tired than other times of the year but was definitely functional. I can absolutely deal with that.

My husband was able to get a job here in Wisconsin that would allow him to transfer after his probation period is up, 4 days and counting. I just don't know yet if he is really willing to move or not. I get mixed messages, so I am trying very hard not to start to get anxious about fall and winter coming. I will have to go somewhere if we don't move. I can totally relate to your feeling nervous around August, the last couple of years I also started getting nervous, even though the problem doesn't start until October.

I hope you read this and will keep all of us informed how your SAD fairs this winter. You will notice a BIG difference. Good Luck. Write back.

movin'on · 08-30-2008, 04:35 PM

I am from Minnesota and suffered from SAD since the age of nine, before anyone ever knew what it was.

I still get it here, although not to the degree I had it. However, in October it sets in at 5 p.m. How I deal with it? Well, since I struggle with depression, I call my Dr. and he adjusts my antidepressants. IOW, increases them. SAD is all about decreasing light levels and the effect it has on neurotransmitters. I think it helps a bit. Still, I do struggle with it here and do the best I can. It IS an improvement over Minnesota. Although I would LOVE to live in Oregon or Washington state, those options are out for me. I lived in the Bay Area for awhile and did handle it. There are so many micro climates there, that I could handle the fog of The City and just going through the Caldecott Tunnel, there was sunshine on the other side and I lived on the other side of the tunnel, while working in The City.

twiggy · 08-30-2008, 04:47 PM

I would think with the amount of sunshine we have it would have to help some. All of the people who have lived here a long time get it starting in May. lol It ends around October. It's not winter depression though, its summer depression. Still falls under the category of "sad" though. I wonder if people who get winter sad would be as likely to suffer from summer sad? Anyone have the summer version?

Nanny Goat · 08-30-2008, 04:56 PM

I lived in Florida and it was mostly a sunny state, although rainy during rainy season (winter time) so fronts coming in and out. Cloudy once in a while, but in a good way. It was a good combo of sun/clouds there.
Here, it's alot of sun and as Twiggy above said it's a reversal for people. The summer sun is not that merry-making. I like clouds once in a while, rainy days or even partly cloudy days are the best.

movin'on · 08-30-2008, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twiggy

I would think with the amount of sunshine we have it would have to help some. All of the people who have lived here a long time get it starting in May. lol It ends around October. It's not winter depression though, its summer depression. Still falls under the category of "sad" though. I wonder if people who get winter sad would be as likely to suffer from summer sad? Anyone have the summer version?

This is true, and I have heard of this. Maybe it's akin to Cabin Fever. For me the winter months continue to be an issue, although truthfully the summer months have become an issue too.

pinda · 08-30-2008, 05:42 PM

Do you think people have to deal with SAD in Phoenix because they do not get enough sunshine because they stay indoors too much in the hot summer. I noticed one year when I was working long hours inside in the summer, I was getting those symptoms, and then I realized I was stuck all days for many days at the computer. It is scary to hear people still have it even in Phoenix.

Ponderosa · 08-30-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinda

Do you think people have to deal with SAD in Phoenix because they do not get enough sunshine because they stay indoors too much in the hot summer. I noticed one year when I was working long hours inside in the summer, I was getting those symptoms, and then I realized I was stuck all days for many days at the computer. It is scary to hear people still have it even in Phoenix.

Could be. But here it is pretty much self-inflicted. There is plenty of UV around.

movin'on · 08-30-2008, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Could be. But here it is pretty much self-inflicted. There is plenty of UV around.

OMG, self-inflicted? Do you not realize this is a bonafide diagnosis in the DSM IV? I just don't know what to say. You need to research.

Ponderosa · 08-30-2008, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by movin'on

OMG, self-inflicted? Do you not realize this is a bonafide diagnosis in the DSM IV? I just don't know what to say. You need to research.

Please pay attention to the thread. I was responding to the post that suggested people might get SAD during the summer in AZ because they stay inside so much to avoid the heat. That is self-inflicted as there is ample opportunity to get sunlight here in the summer (and winter). This is not the case in northern winters where there are low sun angles and overcast days that go on for weeks.