Lighting up the blues
by Derek Moscato
It's February, midterms loom as large as the income tax forms lying on the floor, and a mountain of unpaid bills is creating a fire hazard in your kitchen. These tribulations of winter, however, aren't the only causes of angst for many KU students.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, can dim student's good spirits. The disorder results from a shortfall of light falling on the eye's retina and can bring on depression.
"This light regulates important
This right regulates important biological rhythms," said Ray Higgins, professor of psychology and director of the KU Psychological Clinic. "When days shorten, there's a deficit for people sensitive to this."
Higgins said that despite its growing acceptance in the medical community, SAD has yet to be universally recognized as a mental illness. In addition, because not all possible sufferers seek help, there are no hard statistics on the number of sufferers.
Additionally, Higgins said feelings of dejection and hopelessness that are associated with SAD were sometimes related to eating disorders, excessive sleeping and weight gain. Drinking binges during the colder months also might be an indicator that someone is suffering from SAD.
However, Higgins warned that students shouldn't assume they have the disorder without a professional diagnosis.
(see SAD, page 6)
Keeping away the blues People who become tired and depressed in the darker winter months sometimes have a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder Tribune
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