SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER
DARK DAYS MAY TRIGGER DARK MOODS
DOES YOUR MOOD
seem to mirror the seasons—
maybe grow darker as the fall and winter days get shorter
and li as the brighter days of summer approach?
You could have a condition known as seasonal a ec-
tive disorder (SAD)—a type of depression that’s related
to seasonal changes in light. SAD can make you feel
tired, crave carbohydrates, gain weight, avoid things you
normally enjoy or withdraw socially during the fall and
winter months.
Sunlight helps regulate your internal biological clock.
When there are changes in the amount of light you get,
that clock gets out of balance and levels of melatonin, a
sleep-related hormone, can increase. is hormone has
been linked to depression.
Experts at Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s
(
GAMC) Behavioral Medicine Services want people with
SAD to know that they are not alone.
Both children and adults can get SAD. However, it usu-
ally develops between the ages of and . Women are
a ected at about three times the rate of men, and o en
those with the condition have a close relative who has
battled severe depression. Some evidence suggests that
the farther you live from the equator, the more likely you
are to develop SAD.
Although SAD is generally considered a fall and
winter disorder, in a small number of cases symptoms
may occur in the summer. Some people also experience
symptoms during periods of overcast weather, regardless
of the season.
SHINING A LIGHT
A diagnosis of SAD is based on your
symptoms and history. For a con rmed diagnosis, watch
for symptoms of SAD that return every winter for three
consecutive years and then completely disappear in the
spring and summer.
If you have SAD, getting more sunlight may make you
feel better. It might be helpful to take walks outdoors or
to place yourself near a window during the day when at
home or work.
If your symptoms are particularly bothersome, light
therapy may be recommended. is involves using special
lighting while indoors. erapeutic lighting is much more
intense than standard lighting and has been shown to
decrease levels of melatonin in the brain.
Your doctor can help you decide how long to spend in
this lighting and the best time of day to do so. For many
people with SAD, light therapy is very e ective. However,
if it doesn’t work for you, your doctor may have other
suggestions, including taking medicine for depression.
With proper treatment, SAD is manageable. e
Behavioral Medicine program at GAMC provides many
services to help treat various disorders. For
more information, visit
GlendaleAdventist.com/
behavioralmed
or call
( )
-
.
Sources: American Psychiatric Association; Mental Health America
Sunlight helps regulate your
internal biological clock. When there
are changes in the amount of light you
get, that clock gets out of balance.
SECONDHAND SMOKE
IT’S BAD FOR YOUR CHILDREN’S LUNGS
FORMALDEHYDE. ARSENIC.
Hydro-
gen cyanide.
As a mom, you wouldn’t want your
children to have contact with these toxins.
If you found your child playing with an
empty bottle labeled
vinyl chloride
,
you’d
likely call poison control or your doctor
in a hurry.
Yet every time your child is around a
smoker, these are some of the chemicals
he or she breathes in.
Secondhand smoke contains hundreds
of chemicals known to be poisonous or cause cancer,
according to the O ce of the Surgeon General.
ere’s no doubt that inhaling other people’s smoke
causes numerous health problems in adults. e risks
for children’s still-developing bodies, however, are even
higher. According to both the surgeon general and the
American Academy of Pediatrics, kids exposed to sec-
ondhand smoke are at risk for:
Sudden infant death syndrome.
A lifetime of weak lungs.
Respiratory infections.
ey are also at risk for becoming
smokers themselves when they grow up.
To help protect your child from sec-
ondhand smoke, ban smoking from your
house and car.
Ask others not to smoke around your
child. And make sure any day care provid-
ers or babysitters do the same.
START YOUR NEW YEAR SMOKE-FREE
Glendale Adventist Medical Center o ers
smoking cessation classes. Call
( )
-
or visit
GlendaleAdventist.com/howtoquitsmoking
to
learn more about quitting. You can also down-
load a free brochure from GAMC titled “You Can
Break the Smoking Habit.”
More
REASONS
to
In the
United States:
30%
80%
90%
Sources: American Cancer Society; National Cancer Institute
of LUNG CANCER DEATHS IN MEN
are caused by smoking.
of LUNG CANCER DEATHS IN
WOMEN are caused by smoking.
of ALL DEATHS FROM CANCER
are caused by smoking.
W
E L L N E S S
6
( 8 5 5 ) 3 6 0 -
G A M C
H Q
•
W I N T E R 2 0 1 3