S.A.D. The real reason?

Hello people, was thinking something today and I thought I would share it with you all;

I'm sure everyone has heard about the "invention" sorry I mean the "discovery" of SAD aka seasonal affective disorder. The condition that makes people suffer symptons similiar to depression when the weather is anything but nice.

Now, personally everyone I know gets affected by gloomy weather, most people are fairly grumpy and want summer to return, I do not see this as an actual condition.

Anyways back to the conspiracy, maybe the goverment is exploiting mans natural ability to feel depressed with regards to the situation around him aka the weather and thus they prescribe anti-depressants to people with this condition?

A form of mind control maybe? Lets supress the public by taking advantage of a natural human instinct (feeling low when the weather is low) making them believe they have a disorder/problem and thus making them take our "drugs" to treat their condition?

Think about it, would be an amazing trick to pull off...

Personally, I hate nasty weather & it does make me feel down, like it does to everyone else, everyones happier on a sunny day we COULD be being conned.

I find it funny that the goverment starts conjuring up names and illnesses that describe normal human behaviour !!!

Bit fishy to me.

Please discuss

Isn't this the same as what they've done with ADD/ADHD and "social anxiety disorder" to name a few?

Well I see one hole in your theory at least from my perspective. You never lived in Arizona did you? We look forward to rain.

Saying that Seasonal Affective Disorder is not real is like saying depression is not real. Both are very real problems that effect millions of people. By the end of winter most people are ready for summer to return, but for some people days and days without enough sunshine to keep a weed in a windowsill alive has the same crushing effect as classic depression.

I don't think you're trying to be rude by saying that this condition doesn't exist, but I think it's fairly ignorant to assume that something is fake because you don't understand it or haven't experienced it. It's that kind of mentality that makes men believe post-partum depression is fake. Obviously, mothers would beg to differ.

reply to post by sc2099

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On the contary, I do understand SAD & I understand classic depression very well having been through it myself. However, liken my post to invention of the term ADHD or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, this term or condition did not exist ten years ago!

Alot of people think the goverment has invented this term to describe naughty children and thus the point I was trying to make in my first post still stands.

The medicine prescribed to children diagnosed with this condition could be mind controlling drugs.

Now, I'll change from my original post slightly (I was quite drunk lol) and agree that SAD does actually exist and so does ADHD. But... and its a big but, I think SAD/ADHD are being over diagnosed by a majority of doctors.

So, genuinely naughty children & people getting a bit down about the weather are being diagnosed as people with either ADHD or SAD.

By the way, I would just like to point out that I do not believe this is actually happening, I just thought it was an interesting possibility.

And, I'll still do find it funny that the goverment seem to invent an acronym for nearly everything these days!

I disagree with all of my heart! As soon as you can do a blood test or even extract some of my cranial cerebral fluid and show me the chemical imbalance of my system as compared to that of an established and balanced system THEN I might believe in such things like add,adhd, or sad . BUT until you can prove a chemical imbalance by comparison to what the established "normal" brain chemistry balance is I will continue to fight shrinks of all kinds.

A disease voted into existence is not a disease, IT'S A SCAM!

reply to post by titorite

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Im kinda 50/50 really on this one, I believe that there probably is a small minority of people out there that do actually have something wrong with them thats making them behave the way they act or the way the feel.

But, I also think that doctors are misdiagnosing people and handing out prescription drugs willy nilly.

I agree entirely with your point about a disease being voted into existence & thats what I was trying to get at.

How can there be so many children or adults out there with either ADHD or SAD when ten years these conditions didnt exist????

I think the goverment / medical profession are trying too hard to categorise everything, its like to them everything needs to be explainable or referenced to by a certain term. i.e. "Oh yeah Tommy's got ADHD," "Margaret's upset again, Oh yeah shes got SAD"

Now Im not mocking anyone by the above and please no one take offense, as said previous I feel sorry for people who actually do have something wrong with them.

I personally know someone with bipolar disorder & from first hand experience I can tell you that it is very, very real.

Is there anyone on here who has SAD or any parents with children that have ADHD, would be interesting to talk you about why you think or how you know that either you or your child actually has something wrong with them ???

I can agree with you about ADHD. I think kids are acting out largely because their parents are too busy working to pay them any attention. This, coupled with the fact that school is mind numbing is enough to make even regular kids act crazy. It's easier for parents to slap a label on their kids and medicate them into submission than actually rear them in the proper way.

I'm not so sure about SAD being an overdiagnosed quick fix though because even though this 'disorder' has only come into the limelight in the past few years, what new external influence could cause people to be effected with this condition? I think ADHD is caused by the modern style of 'parenting', or lack thereof, but what has changed in the past few years to cause SAD? It just doesn't make sense to me.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that these diseases have been invented to sell more drugs. I think ADHD was invented out of parental laziness.

reply to post by sc2099

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I completely agree with that post, the drug idea was just something crazy I thought about when I was bored, but hey stranger things have happened...

The name for SAD might not have existed 10 years ago, but I'm here to tell you I've had this condition for 30 of my 40some years. Just because it had no name, doesn't mean it didn't exist.
Come end of September, I am starting to feel bad and panic about the gloomy winter to come. When winter does get here, I am feeling it really bad. I sleep most of the day, have no energy whatsoever, and don't have any interest in anything except sleeping. I'm like a zombie. In the summer, I have all the energy in the world. I'm up early, active all day, and only need about 6 hours sleep. It's like I'm two different people depending on the season. I did buy a light box and it does help alot, but there's nothing like the real sun and daylight.

For you people who don't believe SAD exists, trust me when I say it does.

Edited to add: I've never taken meds for SAD before, but I am seriously considering it this year. Seems the older I get, the worse it is.

[edit on 30-7-2008 by virraszto]

maybe its not a disease maybe your body is just in need of the suns rays. i on the other hand am quite different. i dread summer. the heat and sun till 9 p.m. is terrible. i am much more active at night and try to stay indoors until the sun is down( not that easy with summer school and a job).

i am much more active in the winter or at night. maybe i just have different symptoms but remember though plants can survive without sunlight, neither can humans.