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  3. Overview Like many people, you may experience cabin fever during the winter months. Or, you may tend to eat more and sleep m

Overview Like many people, you may experience cabin fever during the winter months. Or, you may tend to eat more and sleep m

admin2010-10-14  25
问题                         Overview
    Like many people, you may experience cabin fever during the winter months. Or, you may tend to eat more and sleep more when the temperature drops. But, seasonal affective disorder(SAD)goes well beyond those symptoms. SAD is much more than the winter blahs. It’s a type of depressive disorder.
    If you have SAD, winter’s short days and long nights may induce feelings of depression, lethargy(嗜睡), fatigue, cravings for sweets and starches(淀粉类食物), headaches, sleep problems and irritability. Exactly how many people have SAD isn’t really known, but it’s estimated that about 6 percent of Americans suffer from winter SAD, and another 10 percent to 20 percent may experience mild SAD symptoms. The disorder usually begins when you’re a young adult. It’s also more common in women than in men.
    What causes SAD is unclear, but it may have to do with the amount of sunlight you receive. Although SAD can affect people anywhere, it becomes more common the farther north you live--perhaps because these areas of the planet experience decreased daylight for months at a time. In some people, however, recurring episodes of depression may occur in the summer rather than in the winter.
    Although there’s no cure for SAD, there are treatments to help you successfully manage the condition so that you can go through the seasons of the year in relative comfort.
Signs and symptoms
    SAD is a cyclic, seasonal condition, which means signs and symptoms are present only during a particular season of the year and then go away. Most of the time, the signs and symptoms of SAD appear during the winter and recede during the spring and summer.
    But there are some exceptions to the rule.  Some people have worsened signs and symptoms of depression in the spring. Other people--about one in 10--experience periods of mania(躁狂)or hypo- mania, a less intense form of mania, during the summer. This is sometimes referred to as reverse SAD. Characteristics of mania may include persistently elevated mood, inflated self-esteem, hyperactivity and unbridled enthusiasm out of proportion to the situation.
    If you regularly experience the following signs and symptoms when the seasons change, you may have SAD:
    Winter SAD
    Depression
    Loss of energy
    Social withdrawal
    Increased sleep and sleepiness
    Loss of interest in sex
    Overeating, especially foods high in carbohydrates
    Weight gain
    Difficulty concentrating and processing information, especially in the afternoon
    Summer SAD
    Anxiety
    Insomnia
    Irritability
    Weight loss
    Decreased appetite
Causes
    Doctors don’t know the causes of SAD, but heredity, age and your body’s chemical makeup all seem to play a role. So can the availability of sunlight. Researchers suspect that reduced sunlight may disrupt circadian rhythms that regulate your body’s internal clock, which lets you know when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. This disruption may cause depression. For example, winter depression is more common in people living in more northern latitudes, such as in Alaska, where the lengths of days and nights are more variable during the various seasons.
    Some scientists have theorized that melatonin,  a sleep-related hormone that’s also linked to depression, might be the cause. Production of melatonin increases during the long nights of winter.
    Other research suggests that lack of serotonin, a brain chemical(neurotransmitter)that seems to be triggered by sunlight, is the reason for winter depression. People who are depressed are known to have decreased levels of serotonin in their brains.
When to seek medical advice
    Most people experience some days when they feel down. But if you feel down for days at a time and life seems to be losing its pleasure, see your doctor. This is particularly important if you notice that your sleep patterns and appetite have changed--and certainly if you think about suicide.
Screening and diagnosis
    It’s often difficult for doctors to diagnose SAD because other types of depression may mimic(模仿)SAD. Diagnosing SAD depends on whether:
    You’ve experienced depression and other signs and symptoms of SAD for at least two consecutive years, during the same season each year
    These periods of depression have been followed by nondepressed seasons
    There are no other explanations for the changes in your mood or behavior
Treatment
    Like depression, it’s often possible to successfully manage SAD. Treatments may include:
    Light therapy. This is the main treatment for many people with winter depression.  In light therapy, you sit a few feet from a special lamp that’s 10 to 20 times brighter than the ordinary indoor lights for 30 or more minutes each day, usually in the morning. You can do other activities, such as reading or eating breakfast, while sitting in front of the light. Light therapy is easy to administer and has relatively few side effects. Up to 80 percent of people experience a reduction of their symptoms from daily light therapy. Light therapy needs to be done daily until springtime, when the sun shines for a longer period during the day. Lights from tanning beds can’t be used for light therapy.
    Medication. Your doctor may prescribe an antidepressant in combination with light therapy, or as an alternative, if light therapy isn’t working. Summer depression is generally treated with antidepressants.
    The duration of treatment with medications varies. On the basis of your history of SAD, your doctor may suggest you start medication before the time your signs and symptoms usually develop and continue the medication beyond the time the signs and symptoms usually abate. This may be from the middle of fall to the middle of spring. If you have a double depression, in which an underlying depression is complicated during the winter by SAD, your doctor may prescribe treatment with medication for a longer period.
    Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy helps you identify and modify negative thoughts and behaviors that may play a role in bringing about signs and symptoms of SAD. You and your psychiatrist or psychologist may also talk about ways to reduce stress in your life.
Coping skills
    Some things you can do on your own can help you cope with seasonal depression. The following suggestions may help you better manage SAD:
    Increase the amount of light in your home. Open blinds(窗帘), add skylights and trim tree branches that block sunlight.
    Get outside. Walk outdoors on sunny days, even during winter.
    Exercise regularly.  Physical exercise helps relieve stress and anxiety, which can accentuate SAD. Being more fit can make you feel better about yourself.
    Find ways to relax. Learn how to better manage stress.
    Take a trip. If possible, take winter vacations in sunny, warm locations for winter SAD, or cooler locations for summer SAD.
In light therapy, you just sit near a special lamp for ____________ every morning.
选项
答案30 or more minutes
解析 本题中的关键词是“light therapy”，查找后可定位于第6节“Treatment”第2段第2句“In light therapy，you sit a few feet from a special lamp．．．for 30 or more minutes each day，usually in the morning.”答案显而易见。
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