Cures for the wintertime blues

Everyone can experience it. That blah feeling on an overcast, rainy winter day like Thursday when just getting out of bed can be a chore.

But medical experts warn that when that feeling is more than occasional lethargy, it could be symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, a wintertime depression that usually goes away once the days lengthen in late spring.

To combat those feelings, Heather Cooper and Robert Kelley took advantage of the bright sunshine Wednesday to spend time on a bench in Capaha Park. Both said the warm, bright light cheered them and made it easier to handle injuries that prevent them from working and, for Cooper, the first anniversary of her mother's death.

"I needed the sunshine," Cooper said. "It does cheer me up."

Scientists are so serious about the problem that one group at Ohio State University has been studying depression in light-deprived hamsters to help understand how light affects humans.

Snickering questions aside, such as how to tell if a hamster is depressed, the research can bring insights that will lead to better treatments for people, said Dr. Ken Callis, a Cape Girardeau psychologist who also teaches at Southeast Missouri State University.

Lower amounts of light lead to increased levels of a brain chemical known as melatonin, Callis said. That's a chemical that regulates sleep patterns, he said.

Seasonal Affective Disorder isn't usually the crippling form of depression that leaves people unable to function, Callis said. Instead, it can lead to irritability, difficulty staying awake, overeating and fatigue.

"Normally it is considered at the milder end of the spectrum, but in some cases it is very severe," Callis said. "It is also often combined with another form of depression."

The range of moods and difficulties described by Callis in clinical terms found another voice in the stories Kelley and Cooper told as they watched geese and ducks compete for bread morsels tossed by a nearby child.

Cooper said she called Kelley and suggested the visit to the park because she needed to get out of the house for a while. "I took a nap before this," she said. "I slept all day."

"If it was a cloudy day today it would be 10 times worse," she said. "When you can get out in the sunshine and look at the trees, it is a good thing."

The death of her mother a year ago left her in a state of shock, Cooper said. "I loved her very deeply," she said. "She was my best friend."

Back and arm injuries prevent Kelley from working. He's gone through surgery and finds walking difficult. Companionship and a day in the sun makes his days better, he said.

"I needed some sunshine," he said. "And we've been lucky with this weather all winter."

Bright days help those inclined towards winter depression, and it is more prevalent at higher latitudes than further south. In the original studies identifying the condition, researcher Norman Rosenthal of the National Institute of Mental Health estimated the number of people impacted range from 1.4 percent in Florida to 9.7 percent in New Hampshire.

So far this winter, Southeast Missouri has experienced a cool, gloomy December followed by a warm, sunny January. Daily mean temperatures were one-third higher than average in January, National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Packett said, and 25 of 31 days were either sunny or only partly cloudy.

But whether that's made any difference locally in the number of people with seasonal depression is hard to gauge, Callis said. "We don't have any hard facts, but it doesn't seem quite as bad."

Depression can be treated several ways, Callis said. For those with seasonal depression, the most effective treatment is usually light treatments. Going outdoors, even if it is overcast, helps because the light is brighter than any indoor lights.

There are expensive light treatment devices, running $250 to $500, that some people find effective, he said.

"Light therapy takes time and regular use," Callis said. "It is like exercise."

There are also behavioral choices, such as watching comedies instead of heavy dramas on television and listening to music that is relaxing, he said.

Internet sites offering advice on how to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder discuss the use of tanning beds, usually to discourage their use as a cure for the problem.

But Terry Hellman, manager of Sun and Tan Tanning Salon in Cape Girardeau, said she believes time spent in a tanning bed helps overcome the difficulties created by a lack of light in winter.

The ultraviolet light in a tanning bed is the same types of light that comes from the sun, Hellman said. "We do have several customers who come in and say, I've got the winter blues, doldrums, whatever name they tack on it. And whether it is a psychological benefit or an actual chemical change, they feel better."

The warm January weather hasn't hurt business, she said. In fact, it has been busier lately. "When you get warm days, people get the springtime itch."

Callis didn't comment on whether tanning beds provide the best light, but he did emphasize that bright light is crucial to combating the disorder. Ultraviolet light can cause problems of its own, but he didn't discount that people feel better after tanning.

"It may just have to do with getting relaxed and warming the body," he said.