fitness and health

During the months of November to February
the days start getting shorter and colder
and the nights longer and darker. Climate changes seem to affect many people and they just can't understand why they tend to feel gloomy and miserable. This mood disorder is called winter depression
or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
According to Norman E. Rosenthal
the doctor who coined the term SAD in 1984
winter depression has a sound medical basis that involves changes in the body's mood centers brought on by shorter daylight hours and a lack of sunlight. Most depressive illness sufferers experience a sense of utter isolation and loneliness. But the fact that many people go through the same grumpiness during this time of the year provides a sense of comfort and assurance that they are not alone. As the clich้ goes “misery loves company.”
Based on statistics of SAD Association
500
0
people in the United Kingdom experience some form of winter depression
while doctors have estimated that 20% of the population
or almost 2 million people
are affected in Sweden by this condition.
One of the most effective and clinically proven treatment for SAD is “light therapy”
which has been shown to benefit some 80-85 percent of SAD cases. Simple as it may sound
the treatment actually involves more than just turning on a light and sitting beside it while twiddling your thumbs as you wait for that renewed energy to “power up” your whole well-being.
The average domestic or office light emits a paltry 200-500 lux (a lux is a unit of illuminance
) whereas a minimum of 2
500
lux is required to alleviate the symptoms of SAD. In comparison
a clear summer's day can reach an intensity of 100
0
lux.
Based on these specs
a number of specially designed light boxes have been invented that emit precisely the right amount of illumination. Symptoms of SAD gradually subside by sitting in front of one for about 30 minutes to several hours
depending on the severity of the condition.
Light therapy may be the best treatment for SAD as far as symptoms are concerned. However
addressing the root causes of the condition may involve both anti-depressant drugs and psychotherapy treatments especially for those with severe symptoms.


Studies have shown that the incidence of SAD increases dramatically as you go 30 degrees of latitude further north or south
as the condition is virtually unheard of in the tropical countries. A movement or vacation trip to these countries in the equator may sound impractical but can definitely improve ones mood and well-being.
Watching movies that feature warm
sunny
summery climates show demonstrable improvements in mood. Research shows that any film with clear blue cloudless skies
palm trees and an absence of snow should qualify for a movie therapy.
The same mood-enhancing effect may result by simply watching outdoor sports like cricket or golf. However
over-exposure to snooker
darts
and indoor bowling has been found to bring on a state of depressive
trance-like catatonia that
in severe cases
culminates in complete mental health breakdown.

What can drive someone to insanity? Certainly
insanity is something that is commonly understood (or misunderstood) and usually carries some sort of stigma in the popular consciousness. If you believe in modern psychology and psychiatry
there are literally thousands of forms of insanity that a person can end up developing over a lifetime. Some of them
like depression
are temporary
while others
like social anxiety
require more work for a person to get through. However
there appears to be some commonality as to what actually brings about most of the forms of insanity that people go through. Which brings the question to bear: is there a common
underlying trigger that compromises the stability of a person's mental health?

Things like stress and anxiety are often cited
as most of the common (and several uncommon) mental health issues are triggered by one of the two. Continued exposure to stress can eventually push someone beyond their “breaking point
” with the form of insanity afterwards being affected by external factors. This is often a long
strenuous process because most people have some level of resistance to such things
allowing them to at least survive the stressful period with their sanity intact. Additionally
the process may not even really result in insanity
with most of the population serving as proof of this theory. Prolonged stress can affect a person's behavior and outlook
but it is also known that several other factors can increase or reduce the impact of this. In some cases
stress and anxiety can merely even have the opposite effect
depending on the person's personal outlook.

Emotions are also said to play a critical role in driving or pushing people into insanity
with feelings being so closely tied to mental health. A person's emotional state can often be a reflection of a person's relative state of mental stability
but may also become an effect of fractured sanity. There is no doubting that emotions can disrupt and affect a person's thought processes and make them do things that they normally would not do. It has also been noted that extremely emotional situations and heavy emotional trauma can permanently affect a person's mind
often resulting in a condition that requires therapy to eventually overcome. However
it is rather arguable that emotions are merely augmenting the effects of stress and pressure
not a factor in itself.

Trauma is also frequently cited as having drastic effects on a person's sanity
particularly if it occurs during the formative years. The extreme psychological and emotional impact that trauma victims have to endure can often force some past the breaking point
having permanent effects on their mental health. However
it should be noted that trauma tends to be little more than a combination of stressful and emotional factors
usually mixed in with extreme circumstances. The vulnerability of the person's psyche plays a larger role here than in other potential causes of insanity
which explains why trauma encountered later on in life does not have the same general effect as similar events encountered during childhood.

Ultimately
insanity is something that
like sanity
must be defined on an individual basis. What is sane for one person in a given society may not be considered such by a different person within the same society. Insanity is a matter of context in this case
which is the assumption that some psychological texts make.