Book Review: Living Light: The Art of Using Light for Health & Happiness
While it’s hard not to notice the brilliant display of colors set off by a sunset over the water, we seldom consider the biological, or even psychological, benefits of light….
Seasonal Affective Disorder
3 Pervasive, Persistent Myths about Seasonal Affective Disorder
Our society tends to dismiss seasonal affective disorder (SAD). We minimize it. We misunderstand it. Oh, you just don’t like winter. And who could blame you? Winter is tough on…
Christmas is Over: Celebrate the Rest of the Year
So many weeks and days of preparation and then Christmas is over. Oh, maybe you were able to stretch it out over a few days with parties and visits to…
Book Review: A Spectrum Approach to Mood Disorders
James Phelps’ new book, A Spectrum Approach to Mood Disorders: Not Fully Bipolar But Not Unipolar—Practical Management, is written for professionals, not laymen. I have some familiarity with bipolar disorder…
Holiday Stress: A Resourceful Survivor’s Guide
Here’s your chance to enjoy a serene Christmas—or Ramadan or Kwanzaa or Hanukkah The holidays are supposed to be joyous occasions marked by meaningful traditions, family connections, spiritual rejuvenation and…
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Winter depression (or winter blues) is a common affliction for those who live in our northern climate. Its clinical name is seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and up to 5 percent…
Coming Out of the Mire
There is a hard, dark, very murky lump that aches a bit in the middle of my chest. It is gray, but not the warm, gray of tree trunks or…
Enjoying the Winter Holiday Season
No matter what your faith or cultural background, as the holiday season approaches, you may notice, as many people do, that instead of feeling a sense of warm anticipation, you…
Shedding Light on Winter Depression
Thirty days hath September, April, June and November, All the rest have thirty-one Except for February— Which has 258! We extend our apologies to the writer of this clever children’s…
Not in the Holiday Mood? It Might Be the Blues
It’s that time of year again. Multicolored lights twinkle across houses and front yards. Parents and squirming children form long lines to sit on a Santa look-alike’s lap. Red and…
Beating the Holiday Blues
Joy to the world! ‘Tis the season to be jolly! Festive music fills the air; holiday cheer abounds. Everyone is happy at holiday time — right? Wrong. Truth be told,…
Before Spring Has Sprung
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.” —Anne Bradstreet, 1655 It’s a rainy mid-January Wednesday in Boston. The sky is a blank sheet of gray….
Post-Winter Holidays: Hibernation or Depression?
The holiday season is just about over. The presents are unwrapped. The relatives have left. The leftovers are almost gone. Some things went well. Some didn’t. There were moments of…
Are You SAD This Winter? Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) goes beyond the winter blues. It goes beyond feeling tired or sad or disliking winter. SAD is a form of clinical depression that occurs in the…
How Family and Friends Can Aid Mental Health Recovery
Recovering from mental illness is terrifying and exhausting, both for the person diagnosed and those who stand beside them throughout the recovery process. Sometimes, particularly when the diagnosis is new,…