SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER-Arizona or Florida for Help (Phoenix, Tempe: living, mold)

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by movin'on

Yes, and the stigma around things just makes things worse. I suffered from depression and other stuff as a teenager and remember being told to just "snap out of it and think positively." Yikes. I have found that only people who have walked in the shoes of SAD or clinical depression understand "the abyss." I have never met a person who has never experienced these things who understands it when I say "the abyss." Tell tale sign they are fortunate.

In my family there is both addiction and bipolar disorder. My mom takes an antidepressant. Both of my uncles on my dad's side died of alcoholism. My dad drinks a beer maybe once a year, but I've never seen anyone down a beer in 10 seconds like he does. My cousin (mom's side most likely) has severe bipolar disorder to the extent she's been charged with a felony while in a mania. Lord only knows what other "secrets" there are in my family history, as everything is shrouded with shame and denial. If only people could understand that no one signs up for this stuff.

At any rate, SAD hit me when I was nine years old. I still remember that day. It was November and there you go. This is why I had to leave my home state, as the depression was just too much from October through March. I wish things were not this way, but it is what it is. We all have our crosses to bear. Things could be much worse. I could be like my cousin (who also deals with alcoholism) or like my uncles.

At any rate, this topic is near and dear to my heart and I do have strong opinions, based on years of research. Yes, being in the sunshine does help, but SAD still sets in each October. To the OP, I am not sure which is better - Florida or AZ. I could not handle FL, although the ocean is there and that is a definite plus.

BTW, I think people need to "come out" about this. It's the only way the stigma will be addressed and hopefully disappear - although that may not happen in my lifetime.

I had major depression (w/suicidal thoughts) for 20 years of my life (age 8-28). I never really took meds for it too much, but one day I had had enough and saw my great PCP for meds. Well, it worked and my depression WENT AWAY! I was off the meds in under a year. It's been 5 years now and there's only been a handful of times that I had "the blues" but it's usually over in a couple of hours (I usually tell myself to stop it as I don't want to fall into that again- which may not be able to happen anyway).

Depression is so horrible and I do know that if you never had it then you could never know what it's like. I work with clients everyday who have depression and I can really feel their pain.

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by sablebaby

I had major depression (w/suicidal thoughts) for 20 years of my life (age 8-28).

You had suicidal thoughts when you were 8? Dayum...
I must have had a wonderful childhood, perhaps I was drugged and didn't even know it?

On a more serious note, one thing I have to agree on is too much of anything is bad, so if there is indeed such a things as SAD, it seems to hit me when I am stuck home weeks at a time and can't go out due to extremem weather conditions of any kind.

[twiggy]

Originally Posted by TurcoLoco

You had suicidal thoughts when you were 8? Dayum...
I must have had a wonderful childhood, perhaps I was drugged and didn't even know it?

On a more serious note, one thing I have to agree on is too much of anything is bad, so if there is indeed such a things as SAD, it seems to hit me when I am stuck home weeks at a time and can't go out due to extremem weather conditions of any kind.

Yeah, I have a few friends that get down in the summer out here just because it is so long. I know sunshine helps those from the winter version by reseting there clocks but I was wondering if it would help people here to go to a cooler place with less sun for a vacation or something.
I too just like change, I hate sitting at home all the time doing nothing. I end up changing all my furniture around. lol

[twiggy]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I guess folks see what they want to see. Here is a quote from the article you reference:

"This illness is more commonly seen in people who live at high latitudes (geographic locations farther north or south of the equator), where seasonal changes are more extreme. It is estimated that 1 percent of Florida residents, 4 percent of Washington, D.C. residents, and nearly 10 percent of Alaska residents suffer from SAD.
What causes SAD?

"The exact cause of this condition is not known, but the influence of latitude on SAD strongly suggests that it is caused by changes in the availability of sunlight. One theory is that with decreased exposure to sunlight, the biological clock that regulates mood, sleep, and hormones is delayed, running more slowly in winter. Exposure to light may reset the biological clock."

As you can see, SAD affects only 1% of Floridians, but 10% of Alaskans. I would guess that SAD is as rare in AZ as it is in Florida as we have considerably more hours of sunshine each year.

Whatever, iif Arizonans are depressed (and you offer only personal anecdote and no facts to support that they are), it is highly likely due to causes other than SAD. The "key" to dealing with SAD, as you put it, appears to be to live where there is the most sunshine. Right here!

Didn't mean to **** you off Pond. Really, I know of a couple of people who said they have "SAD" out here and I was just wondering if the sun helps them or if the cooler climate with less sun would? I figured it was the long seasons, guess I was wrong.
Sorry, I don't have it and I really don't know much about it, just asking questions. Better to stick to a topic I know a little about maybe.
I know vit. D loss is bad in the cloudy climates but I didn't think it was related. Maybe it is. Don't know, oh well, hope everyone feels better!
How on earth do people have it here I wonder? I mean how do you escape the sunshine here? Even inside it gets you through the windows.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by twiggy

I mean how do you escape the sunshine here? Even inside it gets you through the windows.

I sometimes wonder if I would be a SAD person in another climate. I get noticeably "edgy" after even three days of clouds like we had a time or two last winter. I visited the folks in MI for Christmas several years ago and it was cloudy and gray for two weeks and I was never so happy to see the sun as when I got back here - glorious. Maybe we adjust to high levels of whatever sunshine elicits kind of like addicts and struggle with withdrawal when the levels are lowered by not getting our daily dose of ol' Sol. In any case, I fear I would go insane in Alaska winters or even Pac NW.

[twiggy]

You know I worry about that too. I have been here for so long I don't know how I would really react to solid cloud cover for long periods. I want to try it but I wouldn't be surprised if I missed all the sun, I mean I am so use to it, I even look forward to it every spring. Love swimming, etc. It just gets so long for me come this time of year. I wish it was starting to cool now, but it's going back up to 110 by friday.
If only I could work the weather like a machine and control my own weather. lol
I think I just wish I could control everything in my whole life. What's that disorder again? haha My husband calls it "Control Freak". I think there is a technical name for it though. lol

[ElizaTeal]

Originally Posted by sablebaby

I was talking with another therapist the other day and we both agreed that we have a little SAD going on here with our clients with TOO much sun and heat. People get very depressed in extreme heat, as it's difficult to do a lot when it's so hot. Most will stay in their homes waiting for the sun to go down. Also the heat just makes people irritable. I tell my clients to go out for 15 minutes as it's good for their depression and vitamin D production. It does feel good, but you can only stand a little bit at a time.

My husband is getting SAD symptoms from the monsoon season. It has either rained or threatend to, every afternoon since the beginning of July. He says, "Enough already!"

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by zonababe

My husband is getting SAD symptoms from the monsoon season. It has either rained or threatend to, every afternoon since the beginning of July. He says, "Enough already!"

Oh come on, it has not been that gloomy or gray for that long, continuously. I mean, if Phoenix area is not sunny enough, there is always Yuma, right?

I wonder if some of you folks get SAD every day from sunset to sunrise too? That 8+ hours of darkness must be dreadful.

I think as Ponderosa said, too much sun have spoiled some of you...

[pinda]

I'm glad to see so many responses to this post. There are different degrees on how severe SAD gets. In my 20's I would get a bit more tired a just a little grumpy at times. By mid mid 40's it is unbearable. Just waking up in the morning or turning over in bed is so difficult on my body that my hearts feels like it is pounding out of chest. To me it is so much more than depression alone. It is severe weakness. There are some days I just can't help but cry and NEED to talk to someone about a solution, like moving south or going south in the winter, but the worst problem for me, is the severe weakness. It is very hard to function. I spend way more time looking at the computer looking for hope in the winter. I walk outdoors in the winter to try to get some sunshine if it is out there. A difficult thing to get yourself to do when you are so weak. The sun is so far away that it would take 5 to 6 hours to get enough sun. When it is Zero and windy, Oh Boy. I am a wimp in the cold. (Someone stole my down winter coat last winter, I guess I will have to move south now.)


In Wisconsin summers, I can a lot done. I feel it is catch up time. It feels so GOOD to work hard and feel good.

I think Ponderosa was just saying that if people get outside in the summer, they may not suffer from SAD. I do not know anything about summer SAD, so I really don't understand it. Ponderosa, I bet you do have a degree of SAD if you start feeling it after a few days. I usually start feeling better in about 3 days of southern sunshine and best after about 7 days. I was walking up to 8 miles in California this March.

Thank you for all the responses. This is such a big deal to me and I hope to be somewhere south this fall and winter. Just waiting on my husband.

[twiggy]

Originally Posted by pinda

I'm glad to see so many responses to this post. There are different degrees on how severe SAD gets. In my 20's I would get a bit more tired a just a little grumpy at times. By mid mid 40's it is unbearable. Just waking up in the morning or turning over in bed is so difficult on my body that my hearts feels like it is pounding out of chest. To me it is so much more than depression alone. It is severe weakness. There are some days I just can't help but cry and NEED to talk to someone about a solution, like moving south or going south in the winter, but the worst problem for me, is the severe weakness. It is very hard to function. I spend way more time looking at the computer looking for hope in the winter. I walk outdoors in the winter to try to get some sunshine if it is out there. A difficult thing to get yourself to do when you are so weak. The sun is so far away that it would take 5 to 6 hours to get enough sun. When it is Zero and windy, Oh Boy. I am a wimp in the cold. (Someone stole my down winter coat last winter, I guess I will have to move south now.)


In Wisconsin summers, I can a lot done. I feel it is catch up time. It feels so GOOD to work hard and feel good.

I think Ponderosa was just saying that if people get outside in the summer, they may not suffer from SAD. I do not know anything about summer SAD, so I really don't understand it. Ponderosa, I bet you do have a degree of SAD if you start feeling it after a few days. I usually start feeling better in about 3 days of southern sunshine and best after about 7 days. I was walking up to 8 miles in California this March.

Thank you for all the responses. This is such a big deal to me and I hope to be somewhere south this fall and winter. Just waiting on my husband.

Well good luck to you! I hope you find your sunshine.