Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder - What it is & How to Overcome it - Softcover

"This is the book I recommend to all who struggle beneath the weight of winter. It is highly authoritative yet lively, warm, and quite personal. Dr. Rosenthal is an unsurpassed expert in the field and he lays out exactly what you need to do to feel more like your 'summer self.'"--Michael J. Norden, MD, University of Washington, author of Beyond Prozac "This is a 'must' read for all who suffer from seasonal affective disorder--and for their parents, spouses, and significant others. Illustrated with a rich mixture of case histories and the latest research results, the book does a masterful job of describing the history, origins, and treatment of SAD. This is painless medicine indeed!"--Dean Hamer, PhD, coauthor of Living With Our Genes; Chief of Gene Structure and Regulation at the National Cancer Institute "Written to introduce both health professional and the lay public to the topic of seasonal affective dissorder (SAD), this book succeeds in providing the essentials about the diagnosis and treatment of SAD while engaging the reader in literature and thought-provoking discussions of the broader role of seasonality in our culture and our lives. The text is very well written and the case vignettes are illuminating and often touching....The book helps make sense of a puzzling and potentially incapacitating illness and offers explicit hope for a better future."--Michael E. Thase, MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine "Winter Blues is a fascinating and authoritative account of what science knows about our vital relationship to light. Dr. Rosenthal, an internationally recognized expert in the field of mood disorders, vividly describes the intriguing seasonal pattern in our moods, energies, and behaviors, as well as the recent treatments that have evolved to help mitigate the suffering experienced by the many individuals who have seasonal affective disorder. Winter Blues is an excellent and highly readable book."--Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, author of Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament "Wonderfully written and full of vital information by an unequaled expert on the subject. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who, like myself, has the winter blues. Read and heed Dr. Rosenthal's advice. It can change your life."--Jean Carper, syndicated columnist and author of Food--Your Miracle Medicine "An elegant book....An enlightening work....Combines the tradition of doctor as humanist with an exciting new science of the mind."--Judith Rapoport, MD, author of The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing "A well-organized, comprehensive work that presents clear insight into this only recently studied, psychologically defined affective disorder. Highly recommended. All levels." --"Choice" .,."a personal and scientific perspective on an important health problem by one of the major researchers in the field....Through patient stories, the author provides SAD sufferers much-needed understanding, hope, validation and guidance." --"Mental Medicine Update" "Probably the best book on SAD available for the lay person....Very well written; the case histories read...like short stories....Little sections on the history of seasonal time and how to decide whether to take medication or how to choose a therapist show much down-to-earth wisdom." --"Doody's Journal" "An easy-to-read book that both the medical community and the layperson can use to better understand the condition." --"Leisure Living" "The author conveys an unabashed enthusiasm about his clinical and research work in seasonal syndromes throughout his book...Dr. Rosenthal has written this book with equanimity, knowledge, and empathy for his readers. By allowing the reader a glimpse into how he conducts his day-to-day practice, he is able to reach them in a very personal way. His style of presentation and examination, without imposing his own views, will likely encourage patients to take responsibility for making informed decisions about their treatment. As a result, he succeeds in achieving his stated goal of educating his readers about seasonality and seasonal mood disorders. This is a book that clinicians can recommend to their patients without reservations." --"Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms" "A highlyenjoyable book on SAD, written by the clinical scientist who has probably done the greatest amount of work on it." --"Journal of Clinical Psychiatry" .,."a serious book written by an expert in the field...practical as well as authoritative...Almost half of the book is devoted to treatments...Some of the nice touches on this edition are guides for spouses, parents, people at risk (e.g., college freshman). There are appendixes on diets, self-help groups, etc. The index is thorough." --"Journal of Psychology and Christianity "

Completely updating and expanding his immensely popular guide, Norman E. Rosenthal has written a veritable survival kit for anyone who suffers from the winter blues. This authoritative and engaging book presents the very latest information on the many dimensions of SAD, including the newly recognized distinctions between various degrees of the disorder, from "winter blues" to full-blown SAD. The book features revised chapters on antidepressant medications and light therapy, a new chapter on coping with SAD all year round, details on St. John's wort and on a helpful nutritional regimen, a self-test to help readers evaluate their own level of SAD, and a list of SAD resources. Also discussed is the use of light therapy in treating problems whose symptoms mirror those of SAD, including jet lag, sleep disorders, premenstrual syndrome, and the effects of shift work. A concluding chapter illustrates how those with SAD can enjoy even the darkest of seasons.