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In most people with SAD, sex drive decreases markedly during the winter. Many people report not wanting to be touched or to exert themselves in any way; they just want to curl up and be left alone. I have heard many reports of women who wear long flannel nighties to bed during the winter. Although these garments are worn mainly for warmth and comfort, they send out a strong signal to the women's partners that the SAD victims have little interest in sex. Male patients with SAD may be similarly affected by a lack of sexual interest. Of course, marked changes in sex drive affect not only a person who experiences them, but his or her partner as well. The partner can easily feel rejected because of the lack of sexual interest shown by the person with SAD. When spring and summer arrive and the SAD patient's sexual interest picks up again, the couple will have to adjust to the new equilibrium, which is often difficult. The patient with SAD, forgetting that he or she has been uninterested in sex for several months, may be surprised at the aloofness of his or her partner. The partner, having felt rejected or, at the very least, frustrated during the winter months, may eye the renewed sexual interest with suspicion or anger. An understanding that marked shifts in sexual interest are a common feature of SAD--together with communication between the partners about this problem--can greatly ease the tensions that tend to result...
The effect of SAD on relationships is not confined to the sexual arena. Again, people with SAD often just want to curl up in a secluded place and be left alone. A person who may be a social butterfly in the summer often wants no company in the winter. Conversations are avoided and invitations are turned down. Anything that requires expending the energy involved in social contact is experienced as an overwhelming demand, to be avoided if at all possible. Many people with SAD... compare themselves to hibernating bears. Although this is not a scientifically sound comparison, it accurately conveys the feeling of wanting to be left alone.Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder -
What It Is and How to Overcome It
page 51
Since light therapy may involve a certain amount of inconvenience--remembering to do it, sitting in one place, or carving the time out of a busy schedule--it is important for people to know what happens if they stop treatment for a day or two, or altogether. Will they relapse or will the benefits persist? The effects of discontinuing light therapy are quite variable, depending on the individual and the time of year. Some people have feelings of withdrawal from light treatment as soon as they turn the box off. I recommend that these people taper off their exposure gradually toward the end of a treatment session. More typically, relapse is seen within a week or two of discontinuing treatment, most usually by the third or fourth day. Occasionally, however, improvement persists after treatment is stopped, at times for weeks or even the entire duration of the winter. Controversial new research by Meesters and colleagues in The Netherlands suggests that long-standing remissions, even after light treatments have been discontinued, may occur especially if symptoms are treated at the beginning of the winter. In my experience, however, long-standing remissions are the exception rather than the rule--unless you continue to supplement your environmental light exposure in some other way, such as by walking outdoors every day.Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder -
What It Is and How to Overcome It
page 107
It is important for a seasonal person to realize that there are millions of others who suffer from the same changes and to have faith in the legitimacy of the messages that come from inside the body and mind. This was a major problem for people suffering from SAD before examinations and tests would be conducted in an attempt to diagnose the symptoms of SAD. When the results of these tests were negative, the sufferer would be left with the impression that the problem was not real or valid. Now we know that even without any positive chemical tests, it is possible to diagnose the condition of SAD and treat it. These discoveries are relatively new, so not all medical practitioners are aware of them. If you suffer from SAD and encounter such a practitioner, bring this information to his or her attention, and see whether you can resolve the problem together. If you encounter further skepticism, or a lack of open-mindedness about the powerful effects of the seasons and our capacity to reverse them, I suggest that you move on to another practitioner, rather than mistrust the messages that come reliably and powerfully from your mind and body.Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder -
What It Is and How to Overcome It
pages 257-258
[from the softbound edition]
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