Expert: Patricia A. Schafer, Ph.D. - 10/18/2009

Question
I don't know what do to. I have had times in my life when I have been very sad for a long period of time and it has taken me an even longer period of time to be my happy self again. Lately, I have been feeling hopeless and the most sad I have ever been. It's a feeling that is hard to explain to others. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I have not felt like myself in a very long time. I don't talk to very many of my old friends or family anymore. What can I do?

Answer
Hi Sasha:

It sounds like you may have a winter type of depression. That is, you feel down usually between the months of October through March, and January is usually the worst month. This is called SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Or, you have depression.

You can take a self-test for depression, that is a depression inventory, on the web site of Dr. Ivan Goldberg, a New York psychiatrist.  Dr. Ivan Goldberg is a New York Psychiatrist who has developed an excellent website. Take a look at his site and scroll down to the depression inventory, and also a self-inventory for anxiety, because the person suffering from depression can also be suffering from anxiety.  His web site is:  http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

If you score from medium to high, make a copy and take it to your doctor who can prescribe medications (antidepressants are not addictive) for you.  Also, read the information about SAD. If this is winter depression you may need a light therapy unit.  Amazon.com has a variety of units. If you need a unit, make sure it says 10,000 lux - that is the therapeutic level to help you.   Don't look at the ones that say it will last 10,000 hours - that throws people off and they think they are getting the 10,000 lux.  "Lux" is the correct key word to look for.

You will learn a lot from this web site.  If you don't want to take medications, there are homeopathic meds.  Go to Organicpharmacy.com and look for 5-htp. That helps the mood. Look for homeopathic or natural remedies that help with the mood.  St. John's Wort is another one that helps with depression.

Hope my ideas help you.

Take care,

Dr. Pat