Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Also known as WINTER or SEASONAL DEPRESSION, SAD is a mood disorder.

When clocks change and daylight hours are reduced our internal clock finds it difficult to adjust to the change, especially when there is a lack of natural light.  This is now a recognised medical condition affecting a proportion of the population mainly between October – April, in particular DECEMBER,JANUARY and FEBRUARY.  We are particularly prone to this condition in Britain  due to where we are situated which causes us to experience severe changes in levels of light between our summer and winter.

Symptoms

You may have had no previous signs of mental illness and suddenly find that you have difficulty waking up in the morning, experience nausea, over eat, crave carbohydrates, and gain additional weight.  It is likely you will experience an overall lack of energy, find it difficult to focus, hard to interact socially, a general lack of enthusiasm in everyday activities and overall feel in a state of depression.

Counselling gives individuals an opportunity to discuss their feelings in a confidential, non judgemental, safe environment.  We are able to explore the reasons you feel the way you do and develop strategies to help you cope through this difficult period.  Each client will receive individual treatment to meet their own specific needs.

Many people also benefit from light therapy, a treatment involving a light box exposing extremely bright light emulating summer levels of light.