((( HELP ))) am i sad

hi , i dont know if im sad or depressed. can n e 1 tell me i start to get low around sept/oct time, and cheer up and am back to my usual self at the beginning of march .i need to sleep more but wake early and find it hard to stay awake all day without a catnap. eat more sweet foods chocolate being the favourite at the minute , i put my family thru hell with my mood swings and cry 4 no reason wot so eva. my friends think im attention seeking when i try to explain how i feel but cant. This has been going on for nearly 5 winters now and as the years go by the feelings get worse as last year i could easily have committed suicide. My aunt said it sounded like SADs . ive tried to get in to my doctors but cant and have to ring every day to see if theres any cancellations or appointments going ,but havent been lucky enough yet.

Hi Neeta,
This all sounds very familiar!
I recommend you get hold of a book called "winter blues" by Norman Rosenthal. It is a very good resource. It will help you diagnose yourself, and if you're GP is anything like mine, you are better off helping yourself. I get the impression that there aren't many GP's around who are that clued up on SAD. Mine just keeps saying "it could be", but after reading the book I have absolutely no doubt that I have SAD.
Reading the book somehow makes you feel better because you realise that you aren't going completely mad, but that there is a very good reason for feeling the way you do....lack of light. Which brings me on to the next thing...light boxes. I definitely suggest you trial one (check out this website for starters). They help in most cases and even though aren't a complete cure, they make winter far more bearable.
I have had to take anti depressants this year as well as using my lightbox as my symptoms have been much worse. (I too, think I have had SAD for about five to six years.)
Keep in touch Neeta. Let us know how you get on.
robbo.

I must be one of the lucky ones, it was my GP who noticed the pattern in me and diagnosed SAD. He has been very supportive.I'v been using a light box for about 3 years now, it has helped i'v put on abouy 4stone over the last few years, comfort eating although I usualy manage to lose weight thru spring/summer only to put it back on autumn/winter. I loved the comment "were normal everybody else is abnormal when god created the earth we went to bed when the sun went down " best laugh Iv had for ages.Im glad Iv Found this forum because I often feel that no one else understands what Im going thru