Are you becoming concerned that your case of seasonal sadness has lasted longer, or is more severe than normal? How do you know if this is only a short-lived problem, or if you could be dealing with an actual problem with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD? Do you need to seek treatment from a physician? Learn about the symptoms of this condition, how this disorder affects sufferers, and what treatments are available.

SAD is not just getting the blues when the weather is bad. SAD begins when the fall season begins to change to winter and the days become shorter. The majority of people experience symptoms sometime between September and November. Furthermore, because of the severity and consequences of SAD and other types of depression, doctors require extensive evidence of the condition before they are willing to make a definite diagnosis. Although symptoms may be quite serious, doctors almost never diagnose a person with this condition until after he or she demonstrates symptoms for at least three consecutive winters.

Individuals who are affected by this condition begin to experience feelings of depression, reduced motivation, and tend to sleep for long periods. They also report a dependence on sugar or candy. In addition, most people diagnosed with SAD also have poor immune system functioning. Frequently, they develop illnesses much more easily than people who do not have SAD.

SAD can negatively affect a person’s capability of functioning at work or educationally. This decreased motivation often makes it difficult for a person even to get out of bed and tend to normal activities. People with SAD have trouble participating in social encounters, or even at home. These persons often experience times of intense anxiety and irritability. Occasionally, the problem becomes serious and disabling enough that victims even consider suicide and require hospitalization for treatment.

Not surprisingly, women appear to have a higher rate of SAD than men do. Furthermore, this disorder usually improves yearly at springtime. In fact, by March or April, symptoms usually decrease or resolve completely – until autumn returns again. This remains the case even in states that tend to be cloudy or rainy throughout the entire year. In fact, as many as twenty percent of those who are diagnosed with seasonal depression will at some point develop symptoms of bipolar disorder.


These people are usually depressed during wintertime, but have normal moods throughout the rest of the year. In some cases, however, they describe instances of unexpected mood elevation, also known as mania. As with other types of depression, this condition may become very serious and even disabling if left untreated. Additionally, some people experience very mild levels of SAD; they may struggle with sleepiness, lack of motivation, and loss of appetite. These individuals, however, do not usually endure instances of depressed moods or anxiety.

This type of depression is fairly rare in sunny areas such as Florida, southern California, and Texas. In contrast, people who reside in states with a large number of cloudy days, such as Indiana, Michigan, or Oregon are at higher risk for developing this condition. Residents of countries such as Denmark, Germany, and Ireland also face an increased risk of seasonal depression.

Medical researchers have attempted a number of alternative approaches to help people recover from this exhausting condition. They have tried exposing people to artificial light in an attempt to assist them to produce more serotonin and lessen depression symptoms. Scientists have also worked with medications such as antidepressants, and supplements, such as melatonin, in an attempt to treat these symptoms of depression. Many persons who experience Seasonal Affective Disorder also visit psychiatrists during those times when they are suffering most greatly.

All of these approaches result in with variable degrees of success. All, however, are definitely more costly and time-intensive than two more recent, innovative methods. Hypnotherapy practitioners have refined the art of teaching both NLP and self-hypnosis methods for depression. Through self-hypnosis, individuals learn to talk themselves out of a depressive period and resolve their symptoms. These useful therapies, hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, have resulting in a phenomenal degree of benefit in assisting people to recover from, and prevent future problems with SAD.

Summary: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a kind of winter blues that returns each year at almost the same time. Only persons who face this disorder can decide whether they wish to continue fighting the symptoms alone, over and over, or to try to get assistance in escaping the effects of this illness once and for all. Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming for seasonal depression are both effective, innovative approaches that promise a quick relief from depression without spending excessive resources in terms of money or energy.

Alan B. Densky, CH specializes in depression and stress as an NGH certified hypnotherapist. He’s helped thousands since 1978. He offers hypnosis CDs for depression treatments. Visit his self-hypnosis website for the article library, or watch his free videos on hypnosis.

http://www.neuro-vision.us/

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