[asianthree]

When our son and his wife moved to Fairbanks everyone told them to get a light to avoid sds and illness, however since both are Doctors, they ignored the wisdom..Six weeks into the forever night both were ill and moods were not at their best..bought the light used it as instructed and admitted that the locals were right...you need light

[Virtual Geezer]

Live in northern Ohio and you will get a real taste of SDS. Here we you would think there is a total solar eclipse that last from Nov 1 to April 1. The lack of sun really gets to a person. Here we can go for weeks with the hint of sun and add to it cold damp rain and snow. There have been many times when I have been in Florida and the temps were in the 30's or 40's but the sun was out and it still brightened up your day.

VG

[jojo]

My energy level correlates with the sun. In Ohio I definitely was affected by the long cloudy winter. Here my tennis game improves when the sun comes out.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by Virtual Geezer

Live in northern Ohio and you will get a real taste of SDS. Here we you would think there is a total solar eclipse that last from Nov 1 to April 1. The lack of sun really gets to a person. Here we can go for weeks with the hint of sun and add to it cold damp rain and snow. There have been many times when I have been in Florida and the temps were in the 30's or 40's but the sun was out and it still brightened up your day.

VG

Sounds like Vermont weather. We had a bit of sun yesterday after a very long stretch of the cloudy, damp, rainy, HUMID weather.........doesn't seem like our typical "autumn crisp cool sunny" weather at all.

When my brother was stationed in Korea after the Korean war, he would write home complaining about the constant rain, damp, cold, etc.
I think I know now what he was trying to say............

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by Yorio

Do you believe in Sun Deficiency Syndrome?

Absolutely - We spent our working life in Massachusetts and the weather did not seem to have too much effect on us while we were working; but, we retired to Northern NH, and then it hit me very hard. My husband was not bothered and absolutely loved October and November. I, on the other hand, went into deep depression in late October and it only got worse as the winter went on. I guess I am a summer person.

[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by jblum315

It's actually the lack of light, not necessarily sunlight. Days are shorter in winter and many people suffer from seasonal depression.

Originally Posted by Michiganders

I don't know about SDS but I am up in Michigan right now waiting to move to the Villages this summer and with the days already being cold, dark, and rainy I have SMS. (Severe Mole Syndrome!) My eyes are getting smaller and I can only see in the dark! I also have an uncontrollable urge to dig tunnels!I am hoping to be cured when we move down to TV!

For wannabees, not being in TV is a depressing thought.

[Yorio]

If I am reading this correctly there are more depressed people in the north than in the south? It follows that generally speaking, more people in the north are industrious and productive but more are depressed while as souther hemisphere people may not be as wealthy but they are less depressed therefore more happy?

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by Yorio

If I am reading this correctly there are more depressed people in the north than in the south? It follows that generally speaking, more people in the north are industrious and productive but more are depressed while as souther hemisphere people may not be as wealthy but they are less depressed therefore more happy?

It might seem that way based on a few posts, however, not everyone in the north is depressed........some people actually love the winter time.

It's a time when they no longer have to mow the lawn, weed the garden, have all the children underfoot..........although soon the leaves will need to be raked and the snow shoveled.

To many folks , FOUR SEASONS is a great option.......as when you get sick of complaining about one season, the next arrives. Seriously.

The winter season , once the holidays' busyness is gone...., can be a great time to be creative in any way the person enjoys being creative.

So many people up here have turned to burning wood (due to the high cost of home heating oil which has become astronomical in cost), so they keep busy keeping their woodlots stocked with wood during the months leading up to winter and then keep the stoves burning all winter.

When one is working out of the home or raising children, keeping busy is a given.....so the winter blues might not even be noticeable. Once people are retired and each new day is just like the one before, then perhaps the grey dismal days might start to "sink into a depressive state".

We are barely two years into retirement and have been so busy with the various grandchildren.........we look forward to a winter HIBERNATION.
After almost 50 years of marriage (50 years of being together total), we actually enjoy the winter ..........it goes by pretty quickly and then spring will be here once again.

But I do know numerous folks who get very depressed in the winter time and have been diagnosed with S.A.D. and other things to coincide. The light therapy was suggested for them after the drug cocktails did not work.......which had been prescribed by the docs and the hospital. They will always push the pharmaceuticals first...........when maybe just a winter in THE VILLAGES would have worked much better for those experiencing sunlight deprivation.

[Number 6]

Originally Posted by Patty55

Whoa, I thought this thread was about Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), my answer would have been ... Not so much anymore.

Me too! And for those who though SDS was extreme, there was YAWF! Ah, yes I remember it well.