Seasonal Affective Disorder – Treating Recurring Unhappiness With Hypnosis
Are you worried that your case of wintertime sadness has lasted longer, or has become more severe than you have previously experienced?
How do you know whether this is just a short-term ”down time”, or whether you might have a serious case of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD? Ought you to look for treatment from a physician? Learn about the signs of this condition, how this problem can affect you, and what therapies are available.
SAD is not just feeling "down" because winter is coming. SAD begins when fall heads toward winter and daylight hours are shortened. For most people, symptoms typically appear at some point between September and November. Furthermore, since SAD and other types of depression are so severe, doctors need extensive evidence of the condition before they are willing to make a definite diagnosis.
Despite the fact that signs may be quite serious, doctors almost never diagnose a person with this condition before he or she demonstrates strong evidence of the disorder for at least three winters in a row. Individuals who experience this disorder begin to experience emotions of depression, reduced motivation, and often sleep for excessive periods. They also report a dependence on sugar or sweets. Additionally, the majority of persons who experience SAD also have poor immune system functioning.
Frequently, they find themselves becoming ill much more easily than those who do not have SAD. SAD can negatively affect an individual’s capability of functioning at work or at school. This decreased motivation often makes it difficult for a person even to get out of bed and tend to normal activities. Sufferers find it difficult to participate in social encounters, or even at home. They frequently experience times of intense anxiety and negativity.
Sometimes, symptoms become serious and distressing enough that people even consider suicide and require hospitalization for therapy. Not surprisingly, females seem to experience SAD more frequently than men do. Furthermore, this condition usually improves yearly when spring arrives. In fact, in March or April, symptoms typically subside or disappear altogether – until autumn returns again. This remains the case even in states that tend to be cloudy or rainy throughout the entire year. In fact, almost twenty percent of the people diagnosed with SAD will eventually develop signs of bipolar disorder. 
These sufferers are usually depressed in the winter months, but report normal moods during the remainder of the year. In some cases, however, people report experiencing instances of unexpected mood elevation, also known as mania. As with other types of depression, this condition may become quite severe and even result in disability if not treated properly. Additionally, some persons experience very mild forms of depression; they may struggle with sleepiness, decreased vigor, and eating difficulties. Such people, however, rarely endure instances of depressed moods or anxiety.
This type of depression is relatively uncommon in sunny areas such as Florida, Arizona, and Texas. In contrast, people who live in places with many cloudy days, like Ohio, Michigan, or Oregon are at higher risk for developing SAD. Residents of countries such as Denmark, Germany, and England also face an increased risk of SAD.
Medical researchers have attempted many alternative approaches to help affected individuals overcome this debilitating problem. They have experimented with placing people under artificial light in an attempt to help them produce more serotonin and relieve depression symptoms. Scientists have also used medicines such as antidepressants, and supplements, like melatonin, in an attempt to treat these symptoms of depression.
Many persons who have SAD also visit counselors when their condition is at its worst. All of these techniques have been used with different amounts of effectiveness. All, however, are significantly more expensive and require more time than two recently introduced, innovative methods.
Hypnotherapy practitioners have perfected the art of providing assistance with learning both NLP and hypnotherapy techniques for depression. Using self-hypnosis, individuals learn to talk themselves out of a depressive period and resolve their symptoms. These innovative therapies, hypnotherapy and NLP, have resulting in an astonishing degree of benefit in assisting people to heal from, and prevent future problems with SAD.
Summary:
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a kind of sadness that reappears each year at the same season. Only persons who suffer from this condition can decide whether they wish to continue to fight these symptoms on their own, over and over, or to look for assistance in resolving this condition forever.
Hypnosis and NLP to treat seasonal depression are two effective, innovative therapies that provide a rapid escape from depression without requiring excessive amounts of money or energy.
Alan B. Densky, CH specializes in depression and stress related symptoms as a certified hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner. During his 30-year career he’s helped thousands of clients. He offers hypnosis therapy for depression CDs. Visit his Neuro-VISION hypnosis website for the hypnosis article library, or watch his free videos on hypnosis.
