Seasonal Affective Disorder

[Indigo89]

I've been on medication for anxiety for a year now. Feelings of unhappiness have come and gone, on and off, for several years now despite my life being comfortable and no real reason for feeling this way. I've recently realised that all of my really tough spells of anxiety and unhappiness (possibly 'depression' but not diagnosed) have happened in the darker, winter months.

I bought a natural sunrise lamp which helps awaken you gradually in the morning and this has helped. What else have people tried for s.a.d??

I felt a huge lift in my mood and wellbeing recently, then today's dark morning with the heavy rain has knocked me- it seems so daft but the weather and daylight has such an impact on me.

I tried St John's Wort for the first time this year. Took it from October til early March and had the first winter in many years where I haven't felt really crap. Might be worth a try (but check for interactions with other meds).

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked? Low vit D levels are associated with anxiety and depression and in uk we don't get the right wavelength of sunlight to synthesise vit D between oct and March and its difficult to get enough from diet alone.

My GP checked my vit DLevels after a winter of PTSD and related anxiety and they came back as very very low. I'm now on high strength vit D on presciption and am feeling a lot better.