Is SAD seasonal affective disorder common?

[RedBlackberries]

And can a normal person spot it?

I'm not trying to play at being a psychiatrist but every autumn my dh really goes downhill. He says and has done for all the years we've been together that he feels low and hopeless this time of year and hates the winter. I'm really worried he's getting down at the moment and over the last couple of weeks I've seen him in tears outside. He doesn't help himself. He doesn't want to get help and he drinks and smokes more than is healthy which I'm know make him more deppressed.

I've been very blunt with him and said that he's got a family to think about and he has a duty of care to look after his mental health and not ignore it. What makes it worse is that after a crazy 12 months things are really good for both of us and our family at the moment and he says it's even more frustrating because he acknowledges that things are good at the moment yet he can't feel good.

Without him going to the doctors I know there's not much I can do to see him through this and it's very frustrating having to be the strong one when I feel up and down sometimes too.

Can anyone suggest any kind of alternative therapy that he might be more open towards or any experiences of SAD. Thanks

[NightTerrier]

I don't know about the actual disorder, but a lot of people feel their mood and energy levels drop as the days get shorter.

As for alternative treatments, could he lay off alcohol, take some regular exercise and try and get 15 mins or so outside every day? Getting enough sleep and a healthy diet might also help. I find planning little things that I look forward to helps. I don't have SAD, but have been depressed before.

[katymac]

I'd suggest some vitamin D - I struggled more in the winter

[Wolfiefan]

Great advice from Night. I also have a light wake up alarm thing that helps me hugely in the mornings.
He may not want to get help but he owes it to his family. He really does.

[RedBlackberries]

He spends a lot of his free time outside and makes the most of the good weather days. I've already got some vit d for pregnancy so I'll get him to join me .

Definetly laying off drink a bit would be good and as I'm not drinking (pregnant) it's a good insentive to cut down.

[RedBlackberries]

I've also seen a cheap light from wayfair.com thanks wolfie

[SofiaAmes]

Save your money and get him vitamin d instead of the light. 5000 iu a day should do the trick.

[undertheradarplease]

Sending you lots of hugs OP!

My OH suffers terribly from this condition. Every August (end of the month) his mental health goes chronically downhill, which is usually followed by 3 months of living in a very unpleasant atmosphere at home.
He has, historically, refused to seek medical help from a professional or even acknowledge that this is a condition that can be managed by medication - herbal or otherwise.

This year was the final straw, I put my foot down and demanded advised he take something to alleviate the symptoms.

I bought OH some vitamin b6 supplements and some vitamin d supplements - you can get both from Aldi/Lidl (less than £1 for 90 tablets). I can't begin to tell you the difference they've made to his mood. Within a week he was much more positive and and generally nicer to be around.

As a result, he's also come to the conclusion that drinking large quantities of alcohol during this time of year isn't exactly beneficial. We're only 6 weeks into this new way of managing his SAD and it's a bit of a learning curve but so far so good. Could you possibly encourage your DH to take something to give him a bit of a boost too?

[RedBlackberries]

Lots of similarities under thanks that's a really positive post. I'm glad things improved so quickly for your partner (and for you)! I'll buy the b6 ones as well.

[katymac]

I use a vit D spray from Holland and barratt about £8 for 3 months - but I use 2 spray a day - about 6000iU