A: As seasons change our moods can change as well. This could be a sign of Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD). Some signs to look for could be: lack of energy, social withdrawal, decreased interest in work or other activities, increased appetite or weight gain and changes in sleep. If you are experiencing these signs, an evaluation by a mental health professional can help to determine what course of treatment may be needed.

According to Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., Director of the Beck Institute, cognitive therapy is one of the few forms of psychotherapy that has been scientifically tested and found to be effective in over three hundred clinical trials for many different disorders.  In contract to other forms of psychotherapy, cognitive therapy is usually more focused on the present, more time-limited, and more problem-solving oriented.  Cognitive therapy is based on the cognitive model, which is, simply that the way we perceive situations influence how we feel emotionally.  For example, one person reading this pamphlet might think “Wow!  This sounds good.  It’s just what I’ve always been looking for!” and feels happy.  Another person reading this information might think, “Well, this sounds good but I don’t think I can do it.”  this person feels sad and discouraged.  So it is not a situation which directly affects how a person feels emotionally, but rather, his or her thoughts in that situation.  When people are in distress they often do not think clearly and their thoughts are distorted in some way.  Cognitive therapy helps people to identif their distressing thoughts and to evaluate how realistic the thoughts are.  Then they learn to change their distorted thinking.  When they think more realistically, they feel better.  The emphasis is also consistently on solving problems and initiating behavioral change.

In addition to therapy, some disorders, respond better to a combination of medication and cognitive therapy.  If you are on medication, or would like to be on medication, you might want to discuss with your therapist whether you should have a psychiatric consultation with a specialist.  For more information regarding treatment options, please call us at 234-2600.

As seasons change our moods can change as well.  This could be a sign of Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD).   Some signs to look for could be:  Lack of Energy, Social Withdrawal, Decreased interest in work or other activities, Increased appetite or weight gain, changes in sleep.  If you are experiencing these signs an evaluation by a mental health professional can help to determine what course of treatment may be needed.