The weather is so unreliable at this time of year in the UK that you really can’t pack away your light box for the winter if you seriously suffer from Seasonal Affective disorder.

One day it’s sunny and you think you’re in the clear and the next gloom has descended again. Reminds me of that old English saying

“Ne’er cast a clout ’til May be out”

(Clout is an Old English word for clothing, and the saying was a reminder not to be too quick to get rid of the winter woollies before the chilly days of May were over)

And the way recent summers have gone here in Scotland, the light box might as well stay around all year…

You can tell that the weather is getting better by the amount of activity in the SAD support groups. There have been just a handful of posts this month at the Yahoo group S-A-D I belong to and one of them was posted by mistake. When I looked at the history of postings over the last few years that holds true as well - posts about SAD drop off from April to September.

Makes me suspect that there’s not so much of a problem with Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Southern hemisphere.  I think it’s at least true that the highest percentage of sufferers (in particular those with access to computers at least) are in the Northern Hemisphere and starting to enjoy better weather and moods to match.

What about Australia and New Zealand where it is getting into winter? Do you have a separate support group for your region?

There are so many reasons why the sun is good for you - no wonder we get pretty “sad” without it even if we don’t suffer from serious Seasonal Affective Disorder.  In the Northern hemisphere at least things are starting to get brighter these days, even in Scotland …so the great outdoors beckons again. This Mirror article 15 REASONS WHY THE SUN IS GOOD FOR YOU gives us the following reasons why we should all spend more time enjoying the sun when we can

• It cheers you up
• It reduces heart disease
• It prevents diabetes
• Beats SAD
• Helps prevent MS
• Prevents cavities
• Relieves aches and pains
• Reduces risk of cancers
• Boosts fertility
• Gives you more energy
• Eases IBD
• Beats period problems
• Helps skin conditions
• Boosts your immune system
• Helps you lose weight

Of course sunlight is not all good - there is the little matter of skin cancer but as long as you treat it sensibly and use proper protection it’s great to catch those rays.

An article in the American Journal of Psychiatry (May 2006) The Can-SAD study: A randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of light Therapy and Fluoxetine in Patients with Winter Seasonal Affective Disorder describes a study which shows that both Light Therapy and Fluoxetine (an anti-depressant drug) are equally as effective for dealing with the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

There were 96 participants in the study all with diagnosed Seasonal Effective disorder and the study was carried out over 3 winters.

Separate studies have been done in the past but few have compared results in the same study.

The results are good news for patients who might prefer one type of treatment over another.