Seasonal Affective Disorder for Dummies

by Laura L. Smith and Charles H. Elliott

Examines the pros and cons of light therapy An accessible approach to stopping SAD thoughts and looking at the brighter side of life Do you suffer from wintertime woes? You may have seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a serious but treatable condition. This friendly guide helps you identify symptoms, talk to your doctor, and get an accurate diagnosis. You get the latest on the various drug and non-drug treatment options as well as tips for dismantling...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470139994
• ISBN13: 9780470139998
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: For Dummies
• Length: 333 Pages
• Weight: 1.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Will Make You See the Light

No need for a long review here. This is a great book on seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD. It's written in the typical "For Dummies" format: uses layman's terms, icons througout the book to alert you to key points, organized in an easy-to-follow manner (i.e. paragraphs/ideas broken up in the chapters for easier "digestion" of the info). Also typical of the "Dummies" books is the completeness. You'll learn the symptoms of SAD, if you have it, and what you can do about it. Some treatments covered in the book include: -light therapy -cognitive therapy -exercise -how to get better sleep -changing your diet -medications As you can see, the book covers a lot of ground and most will no doubt learn a lot- I know I did. For instance, I found out that, according to the book page 222, that exercise and light therapy work EQUALLY well in treating SAD (see Exercise Beats Depression for a more detailed program if that's your thing). Anyway, I say get it if you you want a good, general knowledge of SAD, and to find out what all your options are. Its a great resource!

Good way to bone up on a real disease

Concise yet detailed account of symptoms (craving carbs at night!) and treatment modalities of SAD. Lots of drug-free approaches, don't worry.

Excellent introduction to SAD

This is a tremendously helpful book for anyone who is looking for relief from winter's short days. The authors describe how to identify the signs and symptoms of seasonal affective disorder and suggest treatment options, including drug and non-drug approaches as well as practical coping strategies. It's written in a reassuring style that's easy to read and understand. I highly recommend this book.

very informative

Yes i was very pleased with this purchase. I bought this book for my sister-in-law who has this disorder, she was very impressed with all of the information inside. Very easy to understand also.

Very Informative and helpful

There aren't many books on this subject, and this is certainly the best one I have come across. Well researched, and well written; the authors do a good job at communicating not only the causes and effects of SAD, but proven and innovative therapies to help people through what is a wide-spread disorder. The authors also do a good job at making the content simple and engaging for different audiences. This will be the go-to resource for both patients and therapists looking to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).