Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder: What It Is and How to Overcome It, Revised and Upda

Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Review: "Winter Blues" is a well-crafted book by Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, the creator of the contemporary concept of seasonal affective disorder and light therapy, one of the leaders in the field of mood disorders, and the author of numerous publications including "St. John's Wort: The Herbal Way to Feeling Good." The first edition of "Winter Blues" was published in 1993. In the past 5 years this book has become a classic reference for the thousands of people who experience seasonal changes in mood and behavior. The second edition is not merely a cosmetic update but an extensive revision of the first edition. The revised edition of "Winter Blues" provides the readers with the most up-to-date information on the research in the field and reflects new perspectives in appreciating how much we can do to overcome the effects of seasons. The chapter on new research demonstrates the vast accumulation of new information we have gained on the subject of seasonal affective disorder, seasonality, and light treatment. The author describes interesting scientific findings related to the neurobiological mechanisms of seasonality. Other chapters of this book provides the readers with useful information on how to overcome "winter blues" and related topics. I am impressed with the deepness of the author's description of the "holiday blues" and "anniversary reactions." This is a simply written, interesting book. It is a book I certainly recommend to everybody who is interested in natural sciences.

Rating:
Summary: SAD 101
Review: I do appreciate that book because all about SAD is very well explained and it makes me understand the way I was since many winters. It is very interesting and very well written. I'm now working for a company selling a lamp for the phototherapy : Northern Light Technologies and I recommand that book to all my clients. I'm French, so excuse my poor English.

Rating:
Summary: Worth a read
Review: I found this book particularly useful to me in that I was not all that clear about what seasonal disorder was all about and the author is both convincing and authoritative about the problem. Although I do not experience seasonal disorder, someone very close does and I read it to find out what it was. At first, as I read the book, I wondered if this was not hype but as I continued on, I realized that the symptoms described are quite like the person.

I benefited from reading the book but found the last few sections or chapters not to keep my interest because they tended to wander off into related but non-important areas for me.

However, the book taken as a whole is a very valuable if you need information. So, if you are or know someone who may suffer this illness (and even the author makes it clear that it is a diagnosable illness) then you will gain comfort by taking the time to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Review: This book gives a comprehensive overview of Seasonal Affective Disorder, as well as milder versions like the "winter blues" which affect many people, some of whom don't realize it. The book is written primarily for the layperson, either those who think or know they have SAD or those who know someone who does. If you fall into one of those catagories, this book would be worth reading.

The book explains the research behind the discovery of SAD (Dr. Rosenthal was one of the researchers who defined the disorder)and explains the various means of treating the problem. The author also puts SAD into a historical and literary context. After reading it, those affected by SAD will not feel that they are alone in their tribulations. They are part of a large group, and one that can live relatively normal lives with treatment and a little advance planning.

The book also offers information on distinguishing SAD from depression or bipolarity, and points out that SAD can co-occur with other problems.

Rating:
Summary: A PATIENT'S PERSPECTIVE
Review: This book was interesting to me as someone who has been diagnosed with seasonal affect disorder (SAD). However, I feel that the same information is restated and shown over and over again through different cases, making the book long if individual cases are not what you are looking for. I felt that the book was written in plain language, but was still geared towards psychologists and doctors. It did answer some of my questions about different types of light therapy and as someone who has lived in Scandinavia, I found his study of people who live in northern latitudes with regard to whether they are more immune to SAD particularly interesting. If you think you may have SAD, the book provides a test which doesn't tell you much, but would confirm the severity of your case by distiguishing it from "Winter Blues" and SAD. I think all psycologists/psychiatrists should have this book in their libraries and read about SAD so they can recognize it for what it is. If more people would acknowlege the disorder it would make it a lot easier on those of us who have it. And maybe the insurance company would get around to reimbursing me for my expensive light box instead of only wanting to pay for pills.