Seasonal Mood Changes

LIGHT THERAPY for DEPRESSION

Seasonal Affective Disorder and the “Winter Blues”

Do you find that during the winter months you feel down, unusually tired, craving foods high in sugar, and unmotivated to engage in your usual activities? If you answered yes, you, like millions of others, may be experiencing signs of the “Winter Blues”. If you find that these symptoms are interfering with your ability to carry out daily activities you may be experiencing a serious form of the Winter Blues called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD.

Common symptoms of seasonal depression can include, but are not limited to:

● depressed mood

● fatigue

● lack of interest in normal activities

● withdrawing from friends

● craving foods high in carbohydrates

● weight gain

These symptoms usually occur in the Fall and Winter, when the days are shorter, and they remit in the spring and summer, when the days are longer. The good news is that SAD is treatable.

Counseling Services now offers LIGHT THERAPY for the treatment of SAD and the “Winter Blues”

SAD and the winter blues have been associated shorter daylight hours, and colder temperatures resulting in a lack of sunlight in the winter. As the seasons change people experience a shift in the biological internal clock or circadian rhythm that can cause some of the symptoms described.

Increased exposure to light can improve the symptoms associated with the Winter Blues and SAD. Light therapy is considered one of the best treatments for seasonal depression and simply involves sitting close to a specific type of “light box” for a minimum of thirty minutes per day. While under the light box you are free to engage in other activities such as reading, writing, or eating. When dosed correctly relief can come within days.

Find out more about how Light Therapy can help you

Light Therapy is available through Counseling Services and is free of charge. Call CS today at 973-761-9500 to find out if you suffer from SAD or the milder form of seasonal depression: Winter Blues, and to see if Light Therapy is right for you.

It could change your life.