Depressed? Tired? It may be more than

 just the un-jazzy feeling of

The Winter Blues

The Arrow In Depth

by Krista Benson

Waking up at 7 a.m. in the middle of January for school, you look out your window ó wishing, hoping, dreaming of sunshine ó and see Ö clouds.

Again.

The black cloud of winter hangs over you as you drag yourself out of bed after a restless night of sleep. You are facing a day of exhaustion. You have a compulsive desire to eat everything in sight, including the two-week-old Chinese food that might or might not still be good. You feel absolutely miserable.

Welcome to the winter blues. The above is a description of a day in the life of a sufferer of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the clinical name for ìthe winter blues.î The number of sufferers of SAD in the U.S. varies from region to region, but it is a common disorder in the northern United States. According to the British Columbia-based UBC/VHHSC Mood Disorders Clinic, less than 1 percent of the general population in Florida has SAD, while in Alaska as much as 10 percent of people may suffer from winter depression from around September to April of every year.

Dr. Philip Chrissman of Kalispell believes that many people in the Flathead Valley area suffer from SAD, or at least mild forms of the symptoms of the illness.

ìI think that a large percentage of people are affected in some manner,î said Chrissman. ìA lot of ways that weíre affected we probably donít consider troublesome. Many people will tend to sleep more in winter, tend to have different levels of energy, have a difference in appetite or even notice that they have different moods during the short light days of winter.î

Junior Davey DeMars has noticed this trend in her moods and energy level.

ìI wake up and I just donít want to get out of bed,î said DeMars. ìI donít have as much energy and I just feel like Iím dragging an anchor through the water just trying to get through my day.î

Senior Sarah Lentz also has felt the ìwinter-time energy lag.î

ìThe winter makes me really sleepy because itís darker,î said Lentz. ìMy energy just dies.î

The causes of SAD are still partially a mystery, but, according to Inside Out, a light rehabilitation manufacturer, it is thought that the nerve centers in our brains controlling our moods are stimulated by the amount of light entering the eyes. At night, the pineal gland produces melatonin, which causes people to get sleepy. In the morning, bright light causes the gland to stop sending melatonin to the body, which allows us to ìwake up.î But on bleak winter days, not enough light is received to trigger the awakening process, which causes people to be tired all day and have trouble waking up.

Insufficient light also causes lowered production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that, if it is not produced in sufficient quantities, has been linked to depression.

According to Chrissman, although studies have shown that lack of light very likely does affect depression, many other factors can be taken into account when identifying the cause of the SAD.

ìWe have reason to believe that light itself does affect this illness, but in our part of the world during the winter, itís cold as well,î said Chrissman. ìThereís a lot to take into account. Light, cold, inactivity, even a pre-existing depressive tendency that can be more easily managed in other seasons, could all cause SAD. However, light has been proven to be pretty significant.î

There are many ways to treat SAD, including light therapy (being exposed to light medicinally), counseling for the depression, anti-depressants such as Prozac and even herbal remedies such as St. Johnís Wort have all been found to be beneficial.

ìMy own opinion is that light therapy can be helpful,î said Chrissman. ìThe placebo effect, however, could also be a part of the      beneficial effect. If people think it will work, they will feel it work. People say that it works, and whether thatís a placebo effect or not, they do seem to be effective. If we were going to be strictly scientific about this, it would have to be better researched.î

SAD has been a heavily researched illness in recent years, but much remains unknown about the illness. From the definite causes to the absolute best way to treat the illness, the information is beginning to emerge, but there is still a lot to find out.

ìI think that human behavior is so complicated that every time I hear that a diagnosis is being attributed to one cause, my suspicion radar goes sky high,î said Dr. Edward Trontel of Kalispell. ìThe research just isnít clear enough. More research is always needed.î

Juniors Karissa Behrens, Kallob Romine and an unidentified person enjoy some rare winter sunlight.

Symptoms of SAD

Treatment of SAD

Light therapy

use of light boxes medicinally, to treat the lack of light in winter

Herbal remedies

use of herbs, such as St. Johnís Wort, has been found useful for SAD sufferers, especially in Europe

Anti-Depressants

use of anti-depressant medicines, such as Prozac, is often used in conjunction with other treatments or if a pre-existing depressive state exists

Activity

getting exercise and activity is also found to lessen depression

 1. Change of sleep patterns

 2. Change (usually increase) of appetite

 3. Loss of energy

 4. Mood swings

 5. Trouble getting up in the morning

 6. Needing a nap in the afternoon

 7. Feelings of despair, misery, guilt, anxiety

 8. Normal tasks become frustratingly difficult

 9. Family problems

10. Avoiding company

11. Loss of libido, loss of feeling

12. Lethargy ó too tired to cope, everything an effort

13. Joint pain or stomach problems, lowered resistance to infection