My diagnosis.

Firstly thankyou Donna for offering me a lightbox it was very kind of you but I've come into a bit of money so I'll be buying one very shortly.

The doctors appointment didnt go well at all.

I told him I think I have SAD and he asked "Where on earth did you get that silly idea?"

I explained I can't stop crying, neglect my hygiene, feel very low...He basically said I was just lazy and we are all a bit depressed in winter EVEN THOUGH I said I was perfectly fine in summer. He even admitted himself he uses a light box. Cutting a long story short he said that I'd just have to learn to live with it. He prescribed some pills to help wake me up in the morning though.

So I've come back in tears. No one's listening to me. I cannot go on like this knowing I feel like this every winter.

Yes Claire,
Do see another Doctor as summer said! He shouldn't talk to you that way, was very very unprofessional indeed! Don't let him make you feel worse, how dare he!

Sorry but am so shocked at what he said to you. No doctor should be talking to patients like that. He needs to listen and be sensitive, especially as it takes a lot of nerve to get yourself there.

So do get help from another and do get that lighbox too to help you hun.

Let us know how things go.

I do feel for you sweetie xxxxx

If your doctor is part of a large practice then just make an appointment to see one of his colleagues. I very rarely get to see my own GP and usually see someone else in the practice unless my own GP is available.

I have told this story before but when I first went to see a doctor about my symptoms he told me that I was either on drugs or Schizophrenic. As you can imagine I was really upset with his diagnosis and immediately went to see another Doctor who was really helpful and understanding. It was he who recognised that it was SAD as I had never heard of it at that time!

I stand by my first reply, go see another doctor. Just tell him/her how you're feeling, when you started to feel bad (i.e winter) and that you always feel bad in the winter. You could mention that you're not happy with the diagnosis from his/her colleague but sometimes they're not happy to go against the diagnosis of a colleague (especially if they are one of the senior partners in the practice). However, all a GP will do is pack you off with some AD's. Is that what you want though? I've found that visiting this forum, reading others experiences and picking up tips has been far more help than I would get from my GP anyway. The only assistance I've had from my current GP (who incidentally was not the doctor who diagnosed me) is a prescription for Prozac when I've needed it. They've never discussed any 'alternatives' with me. I've done all that research myself (with help from other users of this forum). I don't personally know of any SAD clinics in the UK but someone else might know of one that perhaps you can visit as opposed to seeing a GP again?

I disagree. If I hadn't pointed it out to my doc then it would be down as depression. He's great doctor and very very supportive in helping me manage the condition. He was rather skeptical when I told him that I thought the depression was seasonal. I was new to him then. ONce he had seem me at different times of the year, he understood that it was SAD.

I think every person and case is different and it's up to the individual. It's rather a blanket statement to say never tell your doctor what you think you have and if you are tactful in what you say, I'm sure they wouldn't regard you as doing their job for them.

I knew I had SAD for many many years before I went to see a GP. I knew it was SAD because of the symptoms, being seasonal and because I know myself more than anyone else especially more than all the different GP's I see here and there about other things.

I think if you know you have SAD then it shouldn't be a problem mentioning to your GP that you think you have SAD. You can tell your GP that you have done your own research and feel certain its SAD. This is if you think it is SAD. I don't see a problem mentioning this to a GP then discussing it further.

Its helpful if patients can help themselves in any way. Then when you have a diagnosis, you can do things to help manage your symptoms. In the UK, the Government encourages patients to be expert patients to assist with helping themselves by understanding about their diagnosis as much as possible by taking control of their management as much as possible.

Gone are the days when patients used to see their GP and do what they were told even if the patient had concerns or disagreed. These days patients should feel in more control of their own lives.

I also agree.... I suffered from seasonal depression for many many years and it was only with the help of my continuous diary keeping and my strong suggestion did we draw the conclusion that I had SAD. I have also taken in my Winter Blues book to discuss certain methods of treatment that I would like to try and she has openly admitted to me that I know more about the condition than her. But since I have been going to see her it has encouraged her to investigate SAD further and find me 2 doctors who specialise in SAD who she will refer me to should I want it.

ClareB don't be too disheartened, like Summer said if they are part of a practice like mine you can always go to see another one of the partners. Start keeping a diary, its the best thing I ever did. Good luck x

Hi Paulst, nice to read you and Purple Ivy..... lovely to see you today, we shouldn't leave it so long next time x

Hi ClaireB,
This is the other Donna from USA (I probably should change my name) but anyway. First of all, you can try calling the family doctors in your area and see if they are accepting new patients and if they are, just have your medical records transferred from your current doctor to your new doctor. When you first see your new doctor just tell me that you believe you have SAD as you get these same symptoms every winter and just tell me exactly how you are feeling and if he gives you the run around, then try another doctor until you find one that is going to help you. Remember, the doctors work for you, not the other way around and you can fire them anytime you want to.

As I understand it, you have come into some extra money, so make the first step and buy a lightbox. It needs to be at 10,000 LUX - this is per my psychiatrist. You need to sit in front of it and be no more than one foot away from it. Distance is very important here. When you first get it, you may need to experiment with it a little as everyone is different. A half an hour is not long enough for me. I have to sit in front of it for several hours which I do while I am working and then I glance at it once every minute. Also, you need to do this every day for it to help and if at first if it seems like it is not helping, then try something different like sitting in front of it longer and just kind of play with it a little until you get a routine that works for me and finally lifts your mood. It took me about 2 weeks I think to get onto what would work for me which is to sit in front of it several hours a day every day.

Anyway, honey, good luck in your endeavors and let us know how you are doing and take care. Maybe this weekend if there is any sun in your area, you can get outdoors and maybe exercise a little.

It seems to be a big issue, that doctors don‘t know about SAD. At least it has been easy to get a counselor for me. But next time I will have to explain to my new counselor that it‘s not a depression what does not let me to live but other symptoms. I think it makes it worse, when you are ill with SAD, you don‘t have the energy and strength to fight with ignorant doctors. You just stay at home, frustrated and weak.

I told my counselor that I had SAD. She asked if I'd ever been diagnosed, and I said, "I told a few doctors what I thought it was but they didn't seem to know much about it." She said, "Why do you think you have SAD?"

I said, "I get really tired every winter. My personality changes. I crave carbohydrates, and when I use a lightbox, it helps." She said to me, "I think you do have SAD."

Heh. So, now I have an "official" diagnosis, but it doesn't make much of a difference for me because I have been using light therapy to treat myself for several years now, and I started taking vitamin D when a dietician said it might be a good idea.

If I needed an anti-depressant, I would make sure I got it from a doctor that I trusted, and that would have to be someone who would agree to monitor me on it -- not just give it to me and aimlessly give me refills without at least asking if it's helping or not. These are things not to be taken lightly... have a friend or family member agree to let you know if they see any changes in your behavior or personality and see if that person can come with you to the doctor's office, too.

Sometimes these medications can cause changes that you are unable to recognize in yourself so it takes someone else to help you look out for yourself. Never hurts to have a buddy make sure you're OK.

Last year was my worst year ever, partly because I had a very uncaring doctor. I've found a new doctor and am also seeing a counselor and I feel pretty well this winter.

(I also learned I have fibromyalgia, so being in pain and exhausted made me feel 100x worse. Now that I have help with the fibromyalgia, I haven't had that feeling of dread and have only felt mildly affected by SAD this year)