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Last Updated: 01/14/2005
The Rockbridge Report is produced
under the supervision of the Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communications
at Washington and Lee University. |
Seasonal Affective Disorder looms By Sarah C. Murray Ask a W&L student about a Lexington winter, and you’re likely to get a certain kind of response: grimaces, rolled eyes, or long-suffering sighs. The one-two punch of icy rain and winter term’s workload makes for a dreary few months.
Darker days are the cause of winter depression. On days with gray skies and early sunsets, the body is exposed to less sunlight than usual. As a result, light-sensitive glands increase secretion of a hormone called melatonin, which controls sleeping habits. Cases of winter depression are significantly more common in northern regions than southern. Dr. Kirk Luder of University Counseling noticed a considerable decrease in the cases when he moved to Lexington from Middlebury, Vermont.
Senior Noble Stafford struggled with winter depression during his sophomore year. The Georgia native couldn’t figure out the source of his unhappiness until he noticed that his bedroom received little light. Dark décor added to the general gloom.
Once Stafford altered his color scheme, he noticed an immediate improvement. The method of brightening indoor settings is recommended for those suffering mild symptoms. Doctors take light seriously as a cure for severe SAD, which has been shown to diminish after bright light therapy. With this method, sufferers face a bank of fluorescent lights for a certain amount of time daily—“at least 45 minutes,” Luder said. The problem with this treatment is inconvenience, Luder points out. It’s not easy to find time to sit in front of a box of lights every day. Antidepressants are more readily available and often more appropriate, since winter depression is often an aggravation of an existing depression. University Counseling (458.8590) offers free depression counseling to members of the university community.
SAD Statistics
As many as 25% of people in the United States may suffer from winter depression. source: American Association of Family Physicians 80% of SAD sufferers are women. source: Excedrin Resource Center Exposure to bright artificial light relieves SAD symptoms in 75% of sufferers. source: Excedrin Resource Center
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Signs of SAD
SAD symptoms appear during winter months only.
AUDIO: Senior Noble Stafford discusses how he beat SAD. AUDIO: Find out what Dr. Kirk Luder of University Counseling has to say about SAD. AUDIO: Students from different regions weigh in on Lexington winters. Rhode Island: "I actually love winter." Minnesota: "It's depressingly wintry here, rather than bright and pretty." Georgia: "I don't like wearing shoes that aren't flip-flops." Texas: "The cold is just kind of sad for some reason." For more information on SAD, go to: National Mental Health Association Society for Light Therapy and Biological Rhythms Yale University Winter Depression Research
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traditional depression,
but the symptoms disappear during the
summer and
swell into prominence during the winter.
While
Lexington does not have as much snow in the winter as northern states, the
too-frequent rainy, cloudy days have students complaining on the walk to
class.
“It took me probably about
2-3 months [to figure that out],” Stafford said. “All fall it was
building up, and then after Parent’s Weekend my parents were like,
‘Something’s gotta change.’”