Seasonal Whatever Disorder - Page 2

[Tigerle]

Originally Posted by AllisonR 

Do your kids with SAD symptoms get only depressed in winter months (or other seasons) and "normal" the rest of the year? Or are they also manic, or happy or high, at other times? Do you keep a mood chart? There is a great one for Bi-Polar, you can find online, but this might also be useful for you or your kids who have other types of mood swings. Charting can really help you see the big picture, and over time it helps you realize what the triggers are. It won't solve the problem. But sometimes just knowing, OK, I am on a downward swing now because of X Y and Z, can help you cope. I'm a very moody person, not SAD but bi-polar, though much more on the happy side than sad side, which is why it took 44 years to find a diagnosis. But my son takes after me, and is very moody, so I keep a watch on his moods. 

He is very moody, even in summer, he's just much easier about it. There is a history of depression on both sides of the family, though not bipolar depression (I have to admit, on bad days I have wondered). I'll check out the mood charts.

[beanma]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move 

All the normal summer activities -- swimming, biking, swinging, etc. are fantasitic for her. On days when she gets at least an hour of full body movement, she can think more clearly and handle stress better. That automatically happens when the weather is good. When she doesn't get in the kind of movement she needs, she gradually falls apart. Not only do I have to work work work at making it happen, no matter how much I plan and drive to, I cannot re-create what happens quite naturally in the summer.

This is not our situation. My dd1 is not super active. She enjoys getting outside, but she does things like make fairy houses and a lot of small motor activities like drawing. She loves to read now, too, and would happily sit in the hammock and read if we can keep the mosquitoes away. She does enjoy going to the pool, etc, in the summer, but her upswing is noticeable before the pool opens for the year. She's not much of a bike rider. Likes to swing a lot, but doesn't do it every day or even every week. It's pretty clearly tied to seasonal changes, and I'm pretty sure hours of sunlight, for us. 

It really has evened out so much with age, though. She's doing pretty well so far this year and it gets better every year now. 

[Tigerle]

Originally Posted by beanma 

It really has evened out so much with age, though. She's doing pretty well so far this year and it gets better every year now. 

That is always so reassuring to hear! though my husband thinks he's got some kind of SAD because he gets so tense and moody in fall. I think it's because he's a teacher and school start gets in the way of the many many hobbies he's pursuing so happily in summer! Having kids and going part time which means he's sort of evening out the time he spends for schoolwork, with the kids and with his hobbies has helped a lot I've noticed.

Edited by Tigerle - 11/24/11 at 1:41am

[beanma]

Well, I definitely feel the effects of the seasonal light change, too. For me it's both the cloudiness and cold and, of course, the shorter days. On the sunny winter days it's not as bad. I just have real low energy and want to go curl up and hibernate when it's bad as well as foggy thinking.

My dd1 still is affected by it, I'd say, but the effects aren't as noticeable in terms of acting out and having frequent freak outs. She's not quite as happy go lucky, but overall is a lot more even tempered about it all. The hardest thing for us is getting up in the morning when it's dark. Bleah!

[Tigerle]

So I checked out the CLO we are using and it says 0-5% of the daily allowance of vitamin D. Always a good idea to read labels...looks like we'll supplement him with DD's vitamin D oil throughout this winter and see whether it helps.

[beanma]

Good luck! Hope you get positive results!

[melissa17s]

I do not know, if this would help, but I was listening to Science Friday on the way to work and it related to SAD...  http://www.npr.org/2011/11/11/142244046/cure-winter-blues-with-light-therapy  It made me think I need a vacation to a beach because then I would get some negative ions and sunshine.  

[Tigerle]

Originally Posted by melissa17s 

I do not know, if this would help, but I was listening to Science Friday on the way to work and it related to SAD...  http://www.npr.org/2011/11/11/142244046/cure-winter-blues-with-light-therapy  It made me think I need a vacation to a beach because then I would get some negative ions and sunshine.  

I love it! So, let's try to get a beach vacation on our health plans!

I know they put these kind of lights in cafes in places like Finland which have a high incidence of SAD and a high suicide rate. Not sure how you'd get a kid to sit down in front of one for 30 min every morning...but today is actually sunny and we can go outside after lunch.

II remember DS behaviour going downhill from Sept onwards (in fact, I remember his first explosion for months was on the weekend right after the equinoct, because it was my brother's birthday, and he blew up into his aunt's face when she wanted to join his play. Very embarassing). But from mid-Sept till almost the end of Oct we had a glorious mild and sunny fall, with more sunshine than we had in summer, and I felt being outside so much helped us all, even though I could tell that DS was slowwly getting more tense and moody. I wonder whether one can be so sensitive to the exact timing of the daylight changes rather than to hours of sunshine?

Edited by Tigerle - 12/2/11 at 2:19pm

[LynnS6]

Well, I've found one possible "trigger" for us -- LACK OF EXERCISE!

Ds is a very active kid. In the fall, he played soccer and ran for a good 90 minutes 3x a week. Soccer ended early November. He's playing basketball this winter, but we had a month-long break between sports. Bball started up this week, and now he's exercising for an extra 80 minutes or so 2x a week. His weird thing that he's doing with his hands is getting much better. The running and ball handling are enough 'heavy work' for him.

In the summer, it's OK because he's outside constantly running around. In the winter, it rains constantly and it's dark too early. I'm trying to make up for it by playing 'soccer' in the living room with a balloon or tossing a nerf ball for him to make diving catches, but it's not enough.

I'll have to pay attention to this trend.... my mom said that my dad was never more content than the winter he had a whole oak tree to chop up with an axe. (No, he didn't use a chain saw.) Maybe I should find ds some wood to chop. I have a feeling there was more than one reason boys were sent out to chop wood!

[Tigerle]

Originally Posted by LynnS6 

Well, I've found one possible "trigger" for us -- LACK OF EXERCISE!

Ds is a very active kid. In the fall, he played soccer and ran for a good 90 minutes 3x a week. Soccer ended early November. He's playing basketball this winter, but we had a month-long break between sports. Bball started up this week, and now he's exercising for an extra 80 minutes or so 2x a week. His weird thing that he's doing with his hands is getting much better. The running and ball handling are enough 'heavy work' for him.

In the summer, it's OK because he's outside constantly running around. In the winter, it rains constantly and it's dark too early. I'm trying to make up for it by playing 'soccer' in the living room with a balloon or tossing a nerf ball for him to make diving catches, but it's not enough.

I'll have to pay attention to this trend.... my mom said that my dad was never more content than the winter he had a whole oak tree to chop up with an axe. (No, he didn't use a chain saw.) Maybe I should find ds some wood to chop. I have a feeling there was more than one reason boys were sent out to chop wood!

Heavy work helps around here, too. I have to be careful not to have him overdo it though as physical exhaustion makes things much worse (for him, and for all of us). Swim class was great when it was at 5pm so he had a snack in the car in we could basically put him to bed right after coming home, but now it's at 3 pm and we have to get through the rest of the afternoon with him already exhausted - watch out world! I am being hit and bitten rather alot these days, though I notice he is beginning to manage to hit pillows or just ask for a hug instead.

DH made him lug wood around the yard a lot last year. He chops it himself though - I wish DS were old enough to be trusted with an axe yet...  

[AAK]

I don't have time to read all the responses right now.  However, I am deeply affected by the seasons.  Not enought to seek medication, but enough that I think some of my family members would jump at the chance of a good pill for me. :-)  Last year was the WORST-- (though we had a longer than usual winter) and that prompted me to seek out any natural sort of treatment that I can find.  I think that if I had been feeling like this as a child, that it may have been seen as a series of behavior issues, etc.  I was a reader though, and would kinda hibernate through the winter with a good book.  If I didn't have all these "responsibilities" now, I would still do that most likely.  Getting up is awful, I always feel tired.  I am moodier.  My head itches (I think dry skin) and I am always feeling the need to scratch at it and then grab it close to the scalp and tug just a bit -- perhaps this would also seem like hair pulling.  I am trying to stay active (naturally helps serotonin levels), take a vit. d supplement, get outside (even in the icky weather), and eat well.  I also got some "good mood tonic" from my midwife's store but it tastes so bad I don't take it often enough to know if that herbal blend actually helps.  I will say that going outside DOES help me.  Also, if I get a chance to exercise in the morning (really moving), it carries over for the rest of the day.  

Good luck,

Amy 

[Mylittleboys]

Just wanted to chime in - we have the same problem. DS9 is a joy in late spring, summer, early fall but around Halloween things start to go downhill. Two years ago the problems got so bad that we ended up seeing a psychiatrist (I was not impressed). We did eventually buy a special lamp and it seems to help quite a bit. Also, things go better if I manage to keep everything harmonious (i.e. not too much hustling, stress, etc) and make sure that he eats regularly and has enough sleep. So overall things have improved quite a bit but I still notice the difference and can't wait for April/May to come around!