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Short days of a long blue winter

Dave Schultz sits by a SAD lamp
photo: Erin Bend

Graphic design student Madison Zyluk dreads winter, “Around this time of year I feel really down and I just want to curl up in a little ball and sleep. I totally gain weight too - from chocolate, crackers, bread, wine and cheese.”

Zyluk thinks she could have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of clinical depression that begins when days get shorter in the fall and persists until spring. On November 9, 2009 the sun came up in Winnipeg at 7:32 a.m. and set at 4:53 p.m.

Symptoms of SAD are similar to depression – low mood, reduced interest in socializing, decreased concentration and motivation, low energy and fatigue. SAD sufferers usually have increased appetite, particularly for carbohydrates and sweets, as well as weight gain and increased sleep.

Women are almost twice as likely as men to be effected by SAD symptoms. In Canada about three in every 100 people suffer SAD symptoms, according to the Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba. The United States reports just one per cent of their population with. This could be due to Canada’s northern location.

Relief from the winter blues can come from increasing time outdoors during daylight hours, exercising, taking Vitamin D supplements, taking a tropical vacation and light therapy. People with more severe symptoms may benefit from therapy and antidepressants.

To benefit from light therapy one must sit close to an artificial light that mimics early daylight for 20 to 30 minutes first thing in the morning. Not all people with SAD symptoms experience relief from phototherapy.

“Just in the last month we have probably had about 40 people stop in to pick up lights,” says Dave Schultz of the Mood Disorder Association of Manitoba. The lights cost $20 per month to rent and are also available for purchase.

Schultz is one of four paid staff and many volunteers who staff the Mood Disorders Association, which is located at 4 Fort Street at Assiniboine Avenue. Everyone who works there has their own mood disorder, which makes them empathetic listeners and excellent resources for people struggling with depression or bipolar disorder.

He says, “The biggest problem that keeps people from seeking treatment is the stigma, which gives people a sense of guilt and shame that can compound their problem.”

Weekly support groups are safe places for people to share their experiences with others who can relate.

Schultz, who previously worked as a draftsman, remembers telling his former boss about his depression. “Personally I believe in openness and honesty, but I wouldn’t advise people to do that. Quite often people can lose their jobs when they disclose they have depression or bipolar disorder.”

André Picard, public health reporter from The Globe and Mail recently wrote an interesting piece on two professional who have disclosed their mental health issues at work.

Both employees and employers can benefit from learning more about mental health in the workplace.

Comments

Avatar 1Nov 14th 2009, 08:50 Iris Allen
I really enjoyed your article on SAD and other mood disorders Erin.

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