The meaning of Christmas, and its supposed power to bring friends and family together, is again in evidence this year. Jonathan Freedland admirably called for an end to loneliness, and urged social policy to address it – a sentiment echoed by a Guardian leader.
I do not wish to detract from the importance of addressing chronic loneliness, particularly in the elderly. Many people end up alone, not just over the festive season, but for significantly longer periods, for want of company, and not of their own volition. It is easy to pity them (which is just offensive) and say that we must do more as a society to help them. What is significantly harder is to understand the nature of, and the causes behind, loneliness in various sections of society, and ask whether and where society should act.
Recently, we have begun to regard loneliness, and not just in the elderly, as a purely social problem. In fact, there can be plenty of individual factors that underlie feelings of loneliness – from bereavement to serious medical illnesses. Therefore, trying to address it through political policy without adequate consultation is a cause for concern. After all, do we know that loneliness is largely a social problem? If so, is it just in the elderly or even among younger generations? What engenders it? Apart from a few intuitive ideas invoking the alienation triggered by online worlds, our obsession with communicating via screens, and the intrusiveness of corporate chains, we frankly do not know.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
Showing posts with label Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Show all posts
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Illuminating a seasonal disorder
About this time each year, Lisa Morris starts yearning for more light in her life.
The 31-year-old mother of two from Middle River suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition that prompts her to turn on a specially designed fluorescent lamp for up to an hour every morning when she rises.
Purchased from a medical supply outlet, the light helps ward off the ailment's most common symptoms: persistent fatigue, oversleeping and an increased appetite for sugary and starchy foods that often leads to weight gain.
"The light therapy does do the trick - but I still have my moments where I just want to go up and lay down in my room and not get up," Morris says.
The winter solstice occurred shortly after 1 a.m. today - the lowest point in a pattern of diminishing sunlight that begins each fall as the tilt of the earth's axis sends the northern hemisphere away from the sun. Today we get only 9 hours of sun.
Although SAD symptoms typically begin in September and October as the days get shorter, experts say the solstice period is when the effects of seasonal depression can be most pronounced, particularly if the condition is left untreated.
"It can really affect people for a major chunk of their lives, in a big way," said Dr. David Neubauer, a Johns Hopkins psychiatrist.
READ MORE @ BALTIMORE SUN
The 31-year-old mother of two from Middle River suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition that prompts her to turn on a specially designed fluorescent lamp for up to an hour every morning when she rises.
Purchased from a medical supply outlet, the light helps ward off the ailment's most common symptoms: persistent fatigue, oversleeping and an increased appetite for sugary and starchy foods that often leads to weight gain.
"The light therapy does do the trick - but I still have my moments where I just want to go up and lay down in my room and not get up," Morris says.
The winter solstice occurred shortly after 1 a.m. today - the lowest point in a pattern of diminishing sunlight that begins each fall as the tilt of the earth's axis sends the northern hemisphere away from the sun. Today we get only 9 hours of sun.
Although SAD symptoms typically begin in September and October as the days get shorter, experts say the solstice period is when the effects of seasonal depression can be most pronounced, particularly if the condition is left untreated.
"It can really affect people for a major chunk of their lives, in a big way," said Dr. David Neubauer, a Johns Hopkins psychiatrist.
READ MORE @ BALTIMORE SUN
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Brought on by Darkness, Disorder Needs Light
n a few days, the winter solstice will plunge us into the longest and darkest night of the year. Is it any surprise that we humans respond with a holiday season of relentless cheer and partying?
It doesn’t work for everyone, though. As daylight wanes, millions begin to feel depressed, sluggish and socially withdrawn. They also tend to sleep more, eat more and have less sex. By spring or summer the symptoms abate, only to return the next autumn.
Once regarded skeptically by the experts, seasonal affective disorder, SAD for short, is now well established. Epidemiological studies estimate that its prevalence in the adult population ranges from 1.4 percent (Florida) to 9.7 percent (New Hampshire).
Researchers have noted a similarity between SAD symptoms and seasonal changes in other mammals, particularly those that sensibly pass the dark winter hibernating in a warm hole. Animals have brain circuits that sense day length and control the timing of seasonal behavior. Do humans do the same?
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
It doesn’t work for everyone, though. As daylight wanes, millions begin to feel depressed, sluggish and socially withdrawn. They also tend to sleep more, eat more and have less sex. By spring or summer the symptoms abate, only to return the next autumn.
Once regarded skeptically by the experts, seasonal affective disorder, SAD for short, is now well established. Epidemiological studies estimate that its prevalence in the adult population ranges from 1.4 percent (Florida) to 9.7 percent (New Hampshire).
Researchers have noted a similarity between SAD symptoms and seasonal changes in other mammals, particularly those that sensibly pass the dark winter hibernating in a warm hole. Animals have brain circuits that sense day length and control the timing of seasonal behavior. Do humans do the same?
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Plagued by midsummer SADness
Seasonal Affective Disorder is normally banished by the sunshine, but this year it is lingering on, reports Chloe Rhodes
Now is the winter of our discontent. The fact that it's July is irrelevant.
Flooding, freak hail and attempted terrorist attacks have blighted what is usually our sunniest and most carefree time of year, while grey skies and incessant showers have turned midsummer into one long, gloomy February afternoon.
Everyone gets fed up when bad weather drags on, but for some people, including me, the lack of sunshine has a bigger impact.
One in 50 of us is thought to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the symptoms of which include lethargy, anxiety, irritability, loss of libido and depression. One in eight experiences a milder version known as winter blues, and both usually occur in the months between October and March, when daylight hours are reduced.
READ MORE @ TELEGRAPH
Now is the winter of our discontent. The fact that it's July is irrelevant.
Flooding, freak hail and attempted terrorist attacks have blighted what is usually our sunniest and most carefree time of year, while grey skies and incessant showers have turned midsummer into one long, gloomy February afternoon.
Everyone gets fed up when bad weather drags on, but for some people, including me, the lack of sunshine has a bigger impact.
One in 50 of us is thought to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the symptoms of which include lethargy, anxiety, irritability, loss of libido and depression. One in eight experiences a milder version known as winter blues, and both usually occur in the months between October and March, when daylight hours are reduced.
READ MORE @ TELEGRAPH
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