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Health/Sci/Tech>> .............................................Last updated: 3/22/2010 |
Don't rain on my parade
Yash Bhatia & Anna Chee ~ Staff Writers
Last month, there were only six days of sunshine in St. Charles, according to weather.com.
Coming to school on these dreary days does not make the situation any brighter.
Trying to learn French in fluorescent bulb lighting not only limits students, but can also cause you to become depressed.
Junior Claire Flowers suffers from clinical depression and hates the lack of sunlight in our school. She feels that being trapped in a school with few windows increases your chances of being depressed. “I just feel like I’m stuck in this box,” said Flowers “you move as the weather moves.”
Flowers is not alone. Many people are unaware that they may have a disorder known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD, often misinterpreted as the winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people experience depressive symptoms during a certain season.
Definition/Symptoms/Signs
Symptoms of SAD range from just not being able to wake up in the morning, to having serious behavioral issues. SAD is a very harmful disorder that affects the lives of an estimated 10 million Americans. Flowers said, “A lot of people think that if you have depression, it’s all in your head, but this is completely untrue. People are very ignorant at times and it is a serious disorder that people have to be treated with.”
By the numbers
In an e-mail interview, Dr. Linda DeFrancisco of the Naperville Behavioral Offices said, “six out of every 100 Americans suffer from SAD.” This means that approximately 72 students at East suffer from this disease.
Yet the cause of this disease is still unknown. DeFrancisco said, “Experts don’t fully understand why certain people are more likely to experience SAD than others. It may be that some people are more sensitive than others to variations in light, and therefore may experience more dramatic shifts in hormone production.”
According to DeFrancisco, females are about four times as likely to develop not just SAD, but any kind of depression. People with relatives who have it are also more likely to get depression and SAD.
Slippery Slope
Most people tend to be inactive or stay home in the winter to get away from the cold air of the outdoors. However, by being dormant, you will have better chance of catching SAD symptoms. Symptoms of this disorder may include difficulty to wake up in the morning, overeating, craving for carbohydrates, lack of energy, and withdrawal from social activities. These symptoms may sound relatively unimportant, but can lead to many worsening problems such as loss of relationships, lowering of self-confidence, and if worst comes to worst, death.
Is it Chicago?
According to DeFrancisco, SAD does seem to have more of an abundance in places farther away from the equator, yet not in places with longer daylight hours and shorter winter hours. This strongly supports the case that SAD is caused by light exposure.
Choosing Therapy
Since lack of light is the likely cause of SAD, it seems only fitting that one of the best treatments is light therapy. Light therapy system consists of a set of fluorescent bulbs installed in a box with a diffusing screen, and set up on a table or desk top at which one can sit for the treatment session. Treatment consists simply of sitting close to the light box, with lights on and eyes open. When choosing the right light therapy box, there are a many options to choose from.
Anti-depressant medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy are other options to help fight SAD, which would usually last 12-16 weeks, according to DeFrancisco. It is important to consult a physician before one begins any course of treatment.
More than ten million people are affected with SAD, meaning that this is not a matter to be taken lightly. Although it may not be the most severe type of depression or the leading cause of death, SAD is a disorder that Saint Charles residents can connect to, since our winters are so long and brutal. We need to prevent SAD not just to save ourselves, but also help the ones around us who are in the same risk we are in.
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