11-25-2008, 02:54 AM
dmann wrote:
karsen,
I am not speaking for kanesa, but you should realize that during the winter months here in the Midwest, you can literally go days without real sunlight.
Most days are very gray and cloudy whether it snows or not. This problem is compounded by the fact that due to the move back to Standard vs. Daylight Savings time, most people go to work while it is still dark outside and come back home once it is dark again. I am in Chicago and it was dark at 4:40 this afternoon.
Enjoying a few hours of sunlight on the weekends is not enough for many people.
DM
I realize that. I hmm, 16 years in Michigan and Illinois. I also realize there's a condition and a pill for everything that ails people these days.
I still think S.A.D. is a humorous name and I wish Carlin was alive to give his take on it.
A couple of interesting tidbits from Wikipedia:
The condition in the summer is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder, and can also include heightened anxiety.[3]
Happy pills for the winter, sad pills for the summer. Have to stay balanced.
Winter depression is a common slump in the mood of some inhabitants of most of the Nordic countries. It was first described by the 6th century Goth scholar Jordanes in his Getica wherein he described the inhabitants of Scandza (Scandinavia).[20] Iceland, however, seems to be an exception. A study of more than 2000 people there found the prevalence of seasonal affective disorder and seasonal changes in anxiety and depression to be unexpectedly low in both sexes.[21] The study's authors suggested that propensity for SAD may differ due to some genetic factor within the Icelandic population. A study of Canadians of wholly Icelandic descent also showed low levels of SAD.[22] It has more recently been suggested that this may be attributed to the large amount of fish traditionally eaten by Icelandic people, 225 lb per person per year as opposed to about 50 in the US and Canada, rather than to genetics.
Cha-Ching! Bottle some Icelandic blood as a cure for S.A.D.