YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Last week I was slammed by a nasty case of seasonal affective disorder, or just the change of seasons blues.

We head out on a beach vacation every summer for the last week of August. Then Labor Day and the kids are back in school.

It's been a weird time for me. The kids were home most of the summer so I was with them all day. When we headed out to the beach I could feel time slipping away. From that magical 'summer vacation' time to the tick tick of reality. Now the kids are back in school, my wife is at work, and I'm drifting again.

Transitions suck.

I'm feeling better but I still have an appt with my psychologist next week to maybe do some tweaking. I've been on Wellbutrin forever and it might be time for a change.

Seasonal affective disorder is horrible. I'm also strongly affected when seasons start to change. I've yet to find a way to cope; vitamin D doesn't help and light therapy makes it worse. Maybe an adjustment in your Wellbutrin or a switch would help. I wouldn't know, as I cannot take antidepressants.

So, I'm feeling the same way, minus the external circumstances you survive.

Hang in there.

Claude

Oh man do I relate! I never knew what to call it until last year.
I grew up in Arizona where winter doesn't really happen, it stays sunny for most of the year and temps don't get teribly low. 8 years ago I moved to Wisconsin, which a is basically the oposite of Arizona winters. And every year right around the end of September through April/May (depending on how bad the spring is) I would drag, I couldn't get myself out of bed. I always found myself picking fights with my boyfriend. I would randomly start crying. It also didn't help that I started working from home a few years ago so I would just hole up in my house and wouldn't leave for weeks or even talk to anyone unless they showed up at my door.
I know it's probably one of the worst things but I try to go tanning at least once a week when those blues sink in pretty deep (So usually by January) it seems to help, makes me think of the warm beach and the sun on my face. Also I can't deny that I love when Starbucks comes out with their Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Thanks .. nice to know I'm not the only one.

The fog did lift a week or so ago. We are having some great weather here in the northeast. About time..