Book Description
Examines the pros and cons of light therapy

An accessible approach to stopping SAD thoughts and looking at the brighter side of life

Do you suffer from wintertime woes? You may have seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a serious but treatable condition. This friendly guide helps you identify symptoms, talk to your doctor, and get an accurate diagnosis. You get the latest on the various drug and non-drug treatment options as well as tips for dismantling SAD thinking and feeling better through lifestyle changes.

• Stop SAD before it starts

• Monitor your triggers and symptoms

• Assess alternative therapies

• Reduce your stress and anxiety

• Survive a SAD relapse

Customer Reviews (2)

very informative
Yes i was very pleased with this purchase. I bought this book for my sister-in-law who has this disorder, she was very impressed with all of the information inside. Very easy to understand also.

Very Informative and helpful
There aren't many books on this subject, and this is certainly the best one I have come across. Well researched, and well written; the authors do a good job at communicating not only the causes and effects of SAD, but proven and innovative therapies to help people through what is a wide-spread disorder. The authors also do a good job at making the content simple and engaging for different audiences. This will be the go-to resource for both patients and therapists looking to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (17)

Book review
My daughter in law uses a SAD light and they has helped her with the things surrounding the issue.

Fantastic book - clear and concise
I enjoyed this book thoroughly and recommend it highly to anyone that suffers from SAD.Well organized, well written and very informative.

wonderful book
Dr. Rosenthal's book truly helped me understand this disorder. It is very easy to read and understand, especially since I approached the subject with complete unfamiliarity. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject.

A life-transforming book-five stars!
As someone who has long suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder, I can personally attest to the fact that Dr. Norman Rosenthal's seminal work has been instrumental in helping me cope with and ultimately overcome the winter blues.Dr. Rosenthal is an insightful, provocative, and engaging author, with a rare gift for explaining complex scientific ideas in a manner that is accessible to all.I highly recommend this book to anyone who may suffer from SAD or who is the least bit curious about a disorder that affects millions of people.

A Definitive and Insightful Book About SAD
Thanks to Dr. Norman Rosenthal for writing a ground-breaking and enlightening book on Seasonal Affective Disorder.It's a thoughtful yet scientific work that will provide readers with new insight into this condition.It's also incredibly detailed and contains substantial new information that can greatly benefit readers.

For example, the sections that cover new antidepressants as well as ion and light therapy are particularly comprehensive and helpful.

I think we owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Rosenthal for creating such an informative and satisfying book.He literally brought this disorder to the forefront of Psychiatry when no one else was a believer.Personally I feel that this is the definitive book on the subject of SAD, and one truly deserving of the highest possible rating. ... Read more

Book Description
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or winter depression, is a mood disorder related to the change in the seasons and lack of exposure to daylight.It affects 1 in 100 adults in western countries.SAD is a rare example of a psychiatric disorder with a clear, identifiable biological cause. This book presents an evidence-based review of our understanding of SAD, focusing on clinical aspects as well as research issues.After a short review of the history of the condition, the first part of the book is clinical in emphasis, covering the presentation of the condition and its symptoms, the epidemiology, and the various options for treatment.Part two shifts the focus to examine research into SAD, covering the range of hypotheses put forward to explain the cause of the condition, and reviewing the experimental evidence for each theory.This is a comprehensive and international review of a fascinating condition with contributions from opinion leaders in the field. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Positive Options for Seasonal Affective Disorder
SAD is a very important issue for many Americans. Positive Options for Seasonal Affective Disorder by Fiona Marshall and Peter Cheevers is very educational.
SAD is depression caused by lack of natural light. In this book it described the many different cases of SAD. This is usually seasonal. Most of the depression is caused during the winter when there is a lack of sunlight and it is very cold. Many people become very tired and start to get aches and pains. In severe cases the depression starts to affect the person's social life. It interferes with their activities. Some can even lose every aspect of the person's life.
This book is a very useful tool for someone who suspects themself to have SAD. It goes through many different types of the illness. It also gives a lot of things that can be done to help cure SAD. It also describes how light and climate is very important to this illness. Light is especially important to have in your house and at your work. Without enough lighting SAD could become much worse and cause extreme depression.
There are many different symptoms of SAD. There is extreme fatigue and increased desire to sleep. Increased appetite and extreme mood swings. Many people have thoughts of suicide. Others might gain a drinking problem, or a drug problem. The seasonal depression starts and ends at certain times of the year. This can be caused by holiday blues also. People can feel very alone and lonely causing extreme depression. This depression usually only lasts for sixty days. More often than not this is found more in women than men. It can be linked to PMS. Most cases appear in those in their twenties to forties. SAD can become a very serious issue.
The book Positive Options for Seasonal Affective Disorder is very helpful. It gives you all the information anyone would need to know about the illness. SAD can be treated and should be taken seriously.

Positive Options for Seasonal Affective Disorder
I found this book to be helpful. Somebody finally put into words what I feel. It was like reading about my life. I gave it to my husband to read also, so that he would understand what I am going through. ... Read more

Book Description
Smyth discusses treatment methods for SAD, or winter depression, used in clinics and describes how increased exposure to light helps sufferers experience a major mood change and energy rise. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
This is a definitive volume on the use of light treatment for seasonalaffective disorder and other psychiatric syndromes. It is comprehens iveand scholarly and covers a broad range of issues. It differs from othervolumes in that it dares to break new ground by examining in a scholarlymanner controversial issues related to SAD and light treatme nt. . . . The chapters on light therapy in other psychiatric syndromes are a criticallyimportant addition to previous volumes on SAD and su ggest that thephenomenon of light treatment and the understanding of its biology extendfar beyond SAD. ... Read more

Amazon.com
When days get shorter and colder, do you get gloomier? Do you have trouble waking up? Controlling your diet? Focusing on work and relationships? If so, you may be one of the millions of people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD): changes in mood and behavior due to seasonal changes, such as feeling depressed in winter. Rosenthal, senior researcher at the National Institutes of Health and clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University, led the team that first described SAD. Now in his revised and updated Winter Blues, he describes SAD and how to overcome it. The book includes a self-diagnosis to see how severely seasonal changes affect you (or your child).

Rosenthal, author of St. John's Wort: The Herbal Way to Feeling Good, brings SAD to life with profiles of seasonal-slump sufferers. All of these people experienced dramatic improvement with light therapy--exposure to a special light box for 30 to 90 minutes a day. Winter Blues tells you everything you need to know about light boxes and other treatments, such as psychotherapy, antidepressant medications, herbs, vitamins, and the role of diet and exercise. Rosenthal includes many helpful extras, such as tips for dealing with the holidays and a sample letter requesting insurance reimbursement for a light box. --Joan PriceBook Description

Customer Reviews (8)

excellent resource
Easy read with valuable information. Author writes like a novelist, I could not put the book down.

Excellent overview of Seasonal Affective Disorder
This book gives a comprehensive overview of Seasonal Affective Disorder, as well as milder versions like the "winter blues" which affect many people, some of whom don't realize it.The book is written primarily for the layperson, either those who think or know they have SAD or those who know someone who does.If you fall into one of those catagories, this book would be worth reading.

The book explains the research behind the discovery of SAD (Dr. Rosenthal was one of the researchers who defined the disorder)and explains the various means of treating the problem.The author also puts SAD into a historical and literary context.After reading it, those affected by SAD will not feel that they are alone in their tribulations.They are part of a large group, and one that can live relatively normal lives with treatment and a little advance planning.

The book also offers information on distinguishing SAD from depression or bipolarity, and points out that SAD can co-occur with other problems.

Excellent overview of Seasonal Affective Disorder
This book gives a comprehensive overview of Seasonal Affective Disorder, as well as milder versions like the "winter blues" which affect many people, some of whom don't realize it.The book is written primarily for the layperson, either those who think or know they have SAD or those who know someone who does.If you fall into one of those catagories, this book would be worth reading.

The book explains the research behind the discovery of SAD (Dr. Rosenthal was one of the researchers who defined the disorder)and explains the various means of treating the problem.The author also puts SAD into a historical and literary context.After reading it, those affected by SAD will not feel that they are alone in their tribulations.They are part of a large group, and one that can live relatively normal lives with treatment and a little advance planning.

The book also offers information on distinguishing SAD from depression or bipolarity, and points out that SAD can co-occur with other problems.

Worth a read
I found this book particularly useful to me in that I was not all that clear about what seasonal disorder was all about and the author is both convincing and authoritative about the problem.Although I do not experience seasonal disorder, someone very close does and I read it to find out what it was.At first, as I read the book, I wondered if this was not hype but as I continued on, I realized that the symptoms described are quite like the person.

I benefited from reading the book but found the last few sections or chapters not to keep my interest because they tended to wander off into related but non-important areas for me.

However, the book taken as a whole is a very valuable if you need information.So, if you are or know someone who may suffer this illness (and even the author makes it clear that it is a diagnosable illness) then you will gain comfort by taking the time to read it.

A PATIENT'S PERSPECTIVE
This book was interesting to me as someone who has been diagnosed with seasonal affect disorder (SAD).However, I feel that the same information is restated and shown over and over again through different cases, makingthe book long if individual cases are not what you are looking for. I feltthat the book was written in plain language, but was still geared towardspsychologists and doctors.It did answer some of my questions aboutdifferent types of light therapy and as someone who has lived inScandinavia, I found his study of people who live in northern latitudeswith regard to whether they are more immune to SAD particularlyinteresting.If you think you may have SAD, the book provides a test whichdoesn't tell you much, but would confirm the severity of your case bydistiguishing it from "Winter Blues" and SAD.I think allpsycologists/psychiatrists should have this book in their libraries andread about SAD so they can recognize it for what it is.If more peoplewould acknowlege the disorder it would make it a lot easier on those of uswho have it.And maybe the insurance company would get around toreimbursing me for my expensive light box instead of only wanting to payfor pills. ... Read more

Book Description
Do you have wintertime depression?

The days are getting shorter; winter's on the way.  Getting out of bed in the morning takes a colossal effort.  You're craving cookies, chocolate, bread, and pasta.  You try drinking coffee to perk up, but the truth is--you feel down in the dumps.  If so, you may have SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, a condition that brings wintertime suffering to up to 10% of American men, women, and children.  This informative, compassionate guide explains why seasonal depression strikes, tells you how to cope, and best of all, reveals how most people can cure this painful disorder.  Discover:

The time to look at the calendar--and your life--for the first signs of the disorder
The difference between SAD and wintertime blues
Where to find the best light-therapy devices and avoid rip-offs
The plain truth about PMS and SAD
What behaviors to look for if you think your child has the disorder
How to recognize the symptoms
Which men, women, and children are most at risk
The exciting 20-minute-a-day cure...and more ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Understandable Guide Book for Seasonal Affective Disorder
This book is plain, very easy to understand, and also interesting, even for those who are not experts in this field. I obtained this book because I have the Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD).But this does not have strategyin detail for those who have SAD only in the rainy days. I am just theperson who has SAD in the rainy days.Does anyone have any helpfulinformation for this type of SAD?Please contact me on mye-mail(ijlee@lgic.co.kr).

Informative and hopeful.
As a college student who has gone through three fall semesters with a lackof energy and a low grade point average, I have finally been enlightened tothe light to the seasonal affect disorder. Dr. Taylor and Mrs. Levensonhave provided knowledge and support.Hopefully my GPA will reflect myreflector!!!

Cutting-edge insights into this painful disorder.
In this complicated age of both depression and seasonal illnesses it ismost refreshing to read a book that is both clear,consise, and informativeand hopeful. As many people approach the darkness of day lights saving timethis weekend it is hardening to read such and encouraging book. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Behaviour Research and Therapy, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Research examining dysfunctional attitudes in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has produced contrasting results. The present study sought to resolve this contradiction by addressing some methodological problems of the previous studies. The study examined dysfunctional attitudes using the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS) in individuals with SAD and never-depressed controls. The SAD group were tested both when depressed in the winter (Time 1) and during their remission period (Time 2). At Time 1 the SAD group displayed a relatively elevated DAS compared to controls and to their Time 2 scores. These data therefore provide potential support for a view that SAD is characterized by underlying dysfunctional attitudes. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from FOCUS: Journal for Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 1296 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Seasonal affective disorder--a circadian rhythm disorder.(SLEEP MEDICINE)
Author: Joseph Anderson
Publication: FOCUS: Journal for Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: 34(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders is a comprehensive two-volume set providing detailed information on mental disorders and conditions, in an easy-to-use format. It includes entries for all 150 disorders classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and also features entries for prescription, alternative and over-the-counter drugs, as well as the various therapies used to treat mental disorders.

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Clinical Psychiatry News, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2005. The length of the article is 817 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Many options available as treatments for SAD.(Adult Psychiatry)(seasonal affective disorder)
Author: Mary Ellen Schneider
Publication: Clinical Psychiatry News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 33Issue: 10Page: 35(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
This is a 3-in-1 reference book. It gives a complete medical dictionary covering hundreds of terms and expressions relating to seasonal affective disorder. It also gives extensive lists of bibliographic citations. Finally, it provides information to users on how to update their knowledge using various Internet resources. The book is designed for physicians, medical students preparing for Board examinations, medical researchers, and patients who want to become familiar with research dedicated to seasonal affective disorder.If your time is valuable, this book is for you. First, you will not waste time searching the Internet while missing a lot of relevant information. Second, the book also saves you time indexing and defining entries. Finally, you will not waste time and money printing hundreds of web pages.Download Description
This is a 3-in-1 reference book. It gives a complete medical dictionary covering hundreds of terms and expressions relating to seasonal affective disorder. It also gives extensive lists of bibliographic citations. Finally, it provides information to users on how to update their knowledge using various Internet resources. The book is designed for physicians, medical students preparing for Board examinations, medical researchers, and patients who want to become familiar with research dedicated to seasonal affective disorder.If your time is valuable, this book is for you. First, you will not waste time searching the Internet while missing a lot of relevant information. Second, the book also saves you time indexing and defining entries. Finally, you will not waste time and money printing hundreds of web pages. ... Read more

Book Description
This up-to-date electronic book on CD-ROM provides the best collection available anywhere of official Federal government information and documents on the subject of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This CD-ROM uses next-generation search technology that allows complete indexing and makes all files on the disc fully searchable. For patients, practical information is provided in clearly written patient education documents. For medical professionals, doctor reference tools and texts have detailed technical information and clinical background material.

This thoroughly researched collection presents vital information from many authoritative sources: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Combined Health Information Database (CHID), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Contents include clinical and medical information, with information on signs, symptoms, testing, diagnosis, treatment, research, and more.

In addition, as a bonus we have included an encyclopedic collection of general medical and health documents - thousands of pages with extensive material from the NIH on hundreds of diseases and health topics from A to Z, along with government consumer healthcare tips, disease prevention programs, dietary guidelines, and travelers' health information. Since navigating the Internet to find additional non-governmental medical information can be confusing, we've also provided our exclusive "Guide to Leading Medical Websites" with updated links to 73 of the best sites for medical information! By using weblinks on the CD-ROM, you can quickly check for the latest clinical updates directly from the government.

This CD-ROM has over 37,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software and Reader software is included. Advanced search and indexing features are built into our reproduction, providing a complete full-text index. This enables the user to search all the files on the disk at one time for words or phrases using just one search command! The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, and portable!

Our CD-ROMs are privately-compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed or printed without untold hours of tedious searching and downloading. This book-on-a-disc makes a superb reference work and educational tool for patients and their families, physicians, and other medical professionals. (Information on this CD-ROM is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice; of course, readers are urged to consult with a professional health care provider for any suspected illness.) ... Read more