seasonal depression

Get as much light as you can, but also use exercise, nutrition, and other strategies that will ease seasonal depression.

Not looking forward to winter weather? Prep your mind and body now.

RODALE NEWS, LENNOX, MA—As fall and winter bear down on us, many people begin to dread the disappearance of daylight and the five months of cold, dark days that follow. At northern latitudes, many people experience a lower mood, irritability, decreased energy, and changes in appetite, starting around now and lasting until spring. About 10 percent of people in northern states experience full-blown Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), with depressed mood, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, carbohydrate-craving, and weight gain or loss. Another 30 percent experience sub-syndromal SAD, a low-grade version of seasonal depression. Last month we reported on the benefits of using light therapy to help to boost mood in the fall and winter. I have recommended light therapy for many of my clients, with good results. However, I find it works best when combined with other approaches.

THE DETAILS: Some recent research supports a combination approach to managing seasonal depression. A study published last month in the journal Behavior Therapyby University of Vermont psychologist Kelly Rohan, PhD, found that combining light therapy with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT, which focuses on observing and changing your own thought patterns) worked better than using either therapy alone. She found an 80 percent remission rate for patients treated with combination therapy, compared with 50 percent when a single therapy was used. (Only 20 percent of patients who weren't treated at all saw their symptoms abate.) In a second study, she found that one year later, 36.7 percent of the SAD patients treated with light alone suffered a recurrence, compared with only 5 percent treated with both light and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Interestingly, only 7 percent of patients treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy alone experienced a recurrence.

WHAT IT MEANS: Light therapy is effective for many people who experience winter depression. However, it is not the only effective approach, and by itself it may not produce the longest-lasting results. Whether you experience serious depression or a bit of the blues when the days become shorter, learning to observe and change your thinking and behavior can be invaluable in lifting your mood. And using other tools to help will likely improve your odds of feeling brighter.

Here are some ways to keep the dark days of winter from dragging down your disposition: