![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by J200 on September 5, 2002, at 11:40:11
I am a sufferer of what one the refers to as "chronic dysthymia" rather than major depression as well as what my psychotherapist diagnoses as SAD (though the pdoc scoffs at the idea that Seasonal Affective Disorder exists - he's old school. I firmly believe he's wrong and that there is such a disorder). I live in the NE US and have wanted for many years to move to a milder and sunnier climate, preferably in the SE US. As I age (I'm 50) I find it increasingly difficult to tolerate Northern winters, especially as one who likes to be outdoors, and loves warmth and sunshine. Has anyone with similar problems/desires made the relocation move successfully, and found that it really did benefit feelings of depression that seem to be exacerbated seasonally ? My wife's feet are planted in cement and she won't move anywhere, period, but I'm looking at buying a small vacation home in the South which will give me more frequent refuges from the North. I'm interested in the experiences of others with respect to relocation as a form of therapy.
Posted by JonW on September 5, 2002, at 12:44:09
In reply to Relocating to Combat Depression, posted by J200 on September 5, 2002, at 11:40:11
Hi,
Have you tried a light box? That might be a cheap way to get a preview. Well, not that cheap but compared to a house... :)
Jon
Posted by IsoM on September 5, 2002, at 13:45:03
In reply to Relocating to Combat Depression, posted by J200 on September 5, 2002, at 11:40:11
I am very affected by the diminishing light levels of winter but also have year round depression that needs some medication help too.
I have a light box, not the prettiest, but the cheapest available & surprisingly, one of the highest output of light. I love my light box but haven't found it could substitute for the diminishing hours of light from winter.
It's recomended that one uses it at a certain distance to get the full benefit & for at least 20-30 minutes each day. Alas, the light output is the equivalent of full noon of an overcast day, or 10,000 Lux - not nearly enough to do the job for me. I can't spend my whole day under it either to benefit more. It takes more than a half-hour of light on a cloudy day to boost my mood.
I was having a lot of difficulty with SAD when I was living on the prairies. The hours of sunshine are much greater there than where I live now in the Pacific Northwest (renowned for its rainy winters). But the winters were so incredibly long there & so bitterly cold that I rarely got out much in winter. I actually do better here in the Northwest due to much milder climate & the length of time I can stay outside - even gardening in November & December still.
So based on my experiences only, lightboxes don't do enough (others say they do for them though) & a move to a place where I could spend more time outside did improve my SAD. To be perfectly honest, the benefits felt could have been due to other factors too. I hated the prairies & was overjoyed to move back to my old home area. But even after 12 years here, I still feel better in winter than I did on the prairies.
Personally, I wish I had enough money for two separate homes - one in Sweden in the summer & in New Zealand in their summer. Or maybe I should just be a migratory bird & fly south each year. ^_^
Posted by joy on September 5, 2002, at 13:55:28
In reply to Relocating to Combat Depression, posted by J200 on September 5, 2002, at 11:40:11
I feel exactly the same as you. At age 49 I moved from New York/Connecticut area to South Florida. I hate the dark, the cold, etc. and I have dysthemia [sp] with some major depression. I've been on Paxil, Prozac and tried a couple of others. I was helped by Paxil, and by Prozac to some extent. SAD does exist; in fact there are people who take Prozac during winters and reduce their dose for spring and summer. I have always been so happy with my move to Florida. I am now 57 and have been here 8 years. It was the best mvoe I ever made. If you could get away winters and stay on medication it might help. Perhaps your wife would be open to some kind of compromise.
Joy
Posted by Dave001 on September 5, 2002, at 18:09:20
In reply to Relocating to Combat Depression, posted by J200 on September 5, 2002, at 11:40:11
> I am a sufferer of what one the refers to as "chronic dysthymia" rather than major depression as well as what my psychotherapist diagnoses as SAD (though the pdoc scoffs at the idea that Seasonal Affective Disorder exists - he's old school. I firmly believe he's wrong and that there is such a disorder). I live in the NE US and have wanted for many years to move to a milder and sunnier climate, preferably in the SE US. As I age (I'm 50) I find it increasingly difficult to tolerate Northern winters, especially as one who likes to be outdoors, and loves warmth and sunshine. Has anyone with similar problems/desires made the relocation move successfully, and found that it really did benefit feelings of depression that seem to be exacerbated seasonally ? My wife's feet are planted in cement and she won't move anywhere, period, but I'm looking at buying a small vacation home in the South which will give me more frequent refuges from the North. I'm interested in the experiences of others with respect to relocation as a form of therapy.
No, I have not relocated, but I experience both symptoms you elude to: dysthymia and SAD. I live in the suburbs of Boston, and I get *extremely* depressed by mid-Octobor or so. I love the summer and hate the long, cold, and dreary NE winters...
I've already bought one of those SAD lamps, which I'll be experimenting with soon enough... FWIW, I've heard that the lights work much better if you begin using them *before* your symptoms get too bad; that is, they seem to work better at preventing rather than ameliorating the symptoms of SAD.
Dave
Posted by Ta'Bitha on September 5, 2002, at 22:31:07
In reply to Relocating to Combat Depression, posted by J200 on September 5, 2002, at 11:40:11
I can only offer a 2nd hand report-- I have a friend with chronic depression who moved from east coast to So. Cal because of attraction to the sunny climate. He says he feels better but he still seems awfully depressed to me.
Posted by ZyprexaNumbTongue on September 6, 2002, at 14:53:24
In reply to Relocating to Combat Depression, posted by J200 on September 5, 2002, at 11:40:11
Be careful relocating to the South. You maybe in for some major culture shock. Medical care in the south and particularly psychitric care is not as good in the southern USA. By contrast, the New England states and pretty much all northern states have the best healthcare in the USA. The best psychiatrists are located in the north, especially NY and New England areas.
You may be disappointed in the quality of psychiatric care you find here in the sunny sunny south. Its conservative politically. There arent many clinical trials down here. The psychiatrists tend to be more stodgy, more conservative here. The consumer protection laws in the South are pathetic compared to the Northeast. In many southern states, you are not even legally entitled to get copies of your medical/psychiatric records. Whereas in the NE, its a given you can get your records if you request them.
The warm weather is indeed nice. IMO, thats about the only good thing about the Southeastern USA. The rest of it, the southern culture, the redneck conservative politics, the narrowmindedness...its all the south and its for real. Hope you like sweet tea and fried foods and southern twangs. You better vote Republican too, no matter how bad the latest Republic wants to sweep under the rug healthcare reform.
IMO, the best southern states to live in are South Carolina, especially coastal SC...and Florida. Although Florida is very overpopulated. SC has very nice beaches and its not overcrowded yet like Florida has become.
Good luck,
Posted by J200 on September 6, 2002, at 21:02:54
In reply to Re: be careful moving to the south, posted by ZyprexaNumbTongue on September 6, 2002, at 14:53:24
Zyprexa,
You got it. Coastal SC is where I'm headed. As far as the quality of psychiatric care is concerned, I don't really give a hoot anymore. I'm pretty much done with all of that.
Posted by joy on September 6, 2002, at 22:45:04
In reply to Re: be careful moving to the south, posted by ZyprexaNumbTongue on September 6, 2002, at 14:53:24
I don't know if that's true. Living in Florida, I see some of the best doctors [including psychiatrists] practicing here because of the warm climate, etc. Being politically conservative often means fiscally responsible; it does not translate into poor care. Unfortunately, we have that in every section of the USA [HMOs or uninsured workers]. I'm livin in the south, and lovin it, and I don't have to fight my psych for the benzo that I take as needed!
Joy
Posted by jay60 on September 7, 2002, at 6:01:02
In reply to Re: be careful moving to the south, posted by ZyprexaNumbTongue on September 6, 2002, at 14:53:24
It sounds to me like you are a real liberal snob.
Despite the fact that you and your doctor are the smartest and best in the world there are still some very good doctors in the south (with liberal and conservative ideologies).
I lived in Northeast U.S for about 3 years and could not even get a doctor who would test me for ADD.
Ever since moving back to the south I have had no problem with the doctors.
Posted by Dinah on September 7, 2002, at 8:44:38
In reply to Re: be careful moving to the south, posted by jay60 on September 7, 2002, at 6:01:02
> It sounds to me like you are a real liberal snob.
Dinah here, filling in for Dr. Bob.
I realize that your post was a responsive one, but the civility guidelines still apply. Please don't jump to conclusions about others or post anything that could lead others to feel accused or put down, even if they have posted something that you find hurtful.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#civil
Thanks,
Dinah
P.S. I usually find it helpful to do some breathing exercises or go for a walk before I respond to posts that make me angry.
Posted by Rick on September 7, 2002, at 23:46:21
In reply to Re: Please be civil. » jay60, posted by Dinah on September 7, 2002, at 8:44:38
> > It sounds to me like you are a real liberal snob.
>
> Dinah here, filling in for Dr. Bob.
>
> I realize that your post was a responsive one, but the civility guidelines still apply. Please don't jump to conclusions about others or post anything that could lead others to feel accused or put down, even if they have posted something that you find hurtful.
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#civil
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dinah
>
> P.S. I usually find it helpful to do some breathing exercises or go for a walk before I respond to posts that make me angry.Zyprexa numbtongue makes sweeping generalizations about pdocs PLUS millions of citizens in two different regions of the country -- complete with a nasty stereotype-driven putdown of Southerners. And Jay60 is the one who gets admonished for pointing this out?? Yes, his word selection could have been more delicate but there's no question who was showing less civility overall, as defined by the tenets of the FAQ, and it sure wasn't Jay. Many of Z's comments were presented in a decidedly inflammatory, non-constructive manner. Giving Jay60 an admonition without giving one to Z hardly seems in synch with the concept of personal respect, unless it's only posters to this board who are deemed worthy of that respect.
Posted by jay60 on September 8, 2002, at 8:50:09
In reply to Re: Please be civil. » Dinah, posted by Rick on September 7, 2002, at 23:46:21
Thank you for noticing and pointing this out Rick. I believe that stereotyping an entire section of the country is VERY narrow-minded. As a black man I am partially offended by the racial overtones, being that the majority of the southern population is African American.
Posted by Dinah on September 8, 2002, at 9:16:34
In reply to Re: Please be civil. » jay60, posted by Dinah on September 7, 2002, at 8:44:38
Sorry everyone. I should have made it clear on this thread that the poster in question had been blocked from posting on another thread. Because of that I didn't issue Please Be Civils on every thread where it would have been appropriate.
However, the civility guidelines still clearly expect that posters refrain from incivility even when answering posts that are uncivil. Otherwise the situation just escalates.
In this case a post answering the original post would have been fine, except for the following statement.
> > It sounds to me like you are a real liberal snob.
And here is the link to FAQ on civility:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#civil
Thanks,
Dinah
Posted by Dinah on September 8, 2002, at 9:17:38
In reply to Re: Clarification, posted by Dinah on September 8, 2002, at 9:16:34
Followup posts to admin and posting policies should be redirected to the admin board.
Thanks,
Dinah
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.