Please help.

[emily.r.v]

Hi, I'm Emily.
I am doing an assignment on seasonal affective disorder for psychology at school.
We need to find someone with the disorder we choice (e.g seasonal affective disorder) and write their story.
So if anyone could help me please.
Can you please tell me your story, here's a few questions.

• Do you have winter-onset or summer on-set
• How to do feel in the time of you condiction appearing(if that makes any sense)
• Does you state of thinking change, when you symptoms appear?
  If anyone can help that would be much appriciated.
  Thanks Emily

[Woody]

Hello Emily and welcome,

Although we do not have a policy in respect to fore or against doing research for studies/papers, the intent of this forum is for our members to share openly in there experiences, ideas, information, etc... with other members in/with similar situations.

With this in mind, I would request that you respect our members privacy in all matters unless explicit consent is given from by the member.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors,

[paul m]

Hello Emily. Normally I would not even bother to type the following, but you were quite polite in your request.

The subject of SAD is far too large to be tackled by interviews over the internet (in my opinion only, perhaps not in others). Unless you are only doing a superficial job I would guess that it would require at least 2-3 hrs of conversation for me to tell you all about my SAD. Far too much for me to type.

I would suggest that you approach various mental health groups in the community and see if you can post a notice there or if you can give your name to the leader of one of the support groups for depression or SAD and see if they can bring up the possibility of an interview with the group. I hope that someone can help you. Take Care. paul m

[VillaStraylight]

I agree with Paul. To get someone's "story", you have to talk with them in person. However, as someone how has had SAD for 30 years, I can tell you this:

My onset is at the end of October and my worst months are November and December. No, I am not fond of Christmas.

I am very sensitive to the length of the day and have actually, in some years, started feeling better the day after the Winter Solstice. January and February are always better months for me than November and December.

Before I started taking meds, I often experienced highs in March, around the time of the spring equinox. These highs would continue on and off until the summer solstice in June.

Onset feels like falling. Falling, falling, falling, falling, falling. Into a deep dark hole.

Sometimes, in November and December, I feel like someone has piled a truckload of heavy wool blankets on top of me so that I can barely breathe or move or think.

If I could spend November and December somewhere warm and sunny, I would. Every single year.

Hope that helps!

[VillaStraylight]

It was raining heavily this morning. I felt crappy. The sun came out this afternoon. I felt much better. I just need sunshine. All the time.