Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder: What It Is and How to Overcome It

Completely updating and expanding his immensely popular guide, Norman E. Rosenthal has written a veritable survival kit for anyone who suffers from the winter blues. This authoritative and engaging book presents the very latest information on the many dimensions of SAD, including the newly recognized distinctions between various degrees of the disorder, from "winter blues" to full-blown SAD. The book features revised chapters on antidepressant medications and light therapy, a new chapter on coping with SAD all year round, details on St. John's wort and on a helpful nutritional regimen, a self-test to help readers evaluate their own level of SAD, and a list of SAD resources. Also discussed is the use of light therapy in treating problems whose symptoms mirror those of SAD, including jet lag, sleep disorders, premenstrual syndrome, and the effects of shift work. A concluding chapter illustrates how those with SAD can enjoy even the darkest of seasons.