mzvee8

Hi, SAD is a very common disorder and affects many people... most of whom don't know it. I do, however, know a little about it because I did my major assignment on it last year. I live in Australia, and it definately isn't a common disorder here, probably because even in the southern areas we have warm weather for about 9 months of the year. It doesn't even snow in most places. There are a few organisations that run out of Australia, but in tests that have been conducted over here, the majority of SAD sufferers were found to be located in Tasmania (the small island that hangs off the bottom of Australia). The reason for this is that it is closest to the Antartic region. There are fewer numbers in Victoria (where I am from) and the numbers become positively minimal the further north you go (with numbers dropping as low as into the single digits in the Northern Territory, Northern Queensland and Western Australia - notoriously warm regions). Unfortunately, it's a difficult form of depression to battle. Your symptoms are classic indicators that you actually suffer from this condition quite badly. It definately doesn't help that you live in an area that has bad winter's and obviously, the first thing that most doctors/specialists would probably recommend is that you seriously consider moving to a warmer climate. You have already expressed to us that summer definately improves your condition and that during winter you lose control. The only other solution that might even be practical would be "lights." These "light boxes" try to mimic the benefits that SAD sufferer's seem to reap from natural warmth and in most cases work well. Rather than upping your med's I would probably recommend that you search for other avenues that would/could possibly help this disorder and a simple search on GOOGLE should give you some clues as to what other alternatives there are for you. Good Luck to you. I hope you find a solution to assist you out of this depression.

Hi again, well, (whew) after reading all that I can see that it seems to affect some people's wards and not others... but that's great so a huge thank-you to everyone who posted a reply. I'm quite lucky because my midwife (well, the lady that help ME give birth) is gonna get me all the L & D details for the past 12 mths so I will try and match them up to the full/new moons. I guess what comes out of this whole thing is that birth is a slightly mysterious, slightly crazy event in any womens life and anything can bring it on... but I will try to do the best possible job on this assignment. i still have the whole xmas vacation to sort it out. take care xx vanessa

Hello everyone... Most people have either heard or passed on something about a woman having a higher incidence of going into labour and delivery when a full moon passes. Indeed, at the time that I was 39 weeks pregnant (2 weeks before delivering my 2nd child), the hospital I was being cared by suffered a massive boom on the night of a full moon. When I say boom, I mean in a literal sense... suddenly, the maternity wing went from relative quiet to labouring women crawling out of the woodwork. It was so bad they had to set up temporary labour suits in the multi-purpose rooms... yes, that bad. This is not the only incidence I have become aware of and now that I am (finally) studying nursing, I am wondering if any of you can shed some light on experiences you have had with full moon's and whether they have impacted (dramatically or not) on labouring women? I have a research assignment to complete, not due until february, and I thought that getting some feedback from the nurses on the net forums (as well as midwives at major hospitals in my area) would give us some great ideas. I know that dramatic weather changes wreck havoc as well, so if you have any stories i might change my hypothosis to reflect the incidence of full-moons and weather... Please please please can you help as there is very little in the way of helpful internet sites. I've no doubt that someone has already started a thread on this topic, however i'm struggling to find anything that is of any real use, so now i'm begging... Many thanks Vanessa (student nurse)

Hi. I must admit that trying to pick a Uni is difficult. Having said that, choosing your prospective career at 17/18 is even harder. i'm one of the one's that's trying to get into a nursing gig 7 years down the track. Having just mentioned the shortage of nurses, I think it's extremely fitting for me to mention that getting a place at Uni has been a struggle and I have now settled on doing a Div 2 Certificate first because most of the Uni's forewarned me that mature age entry is difficult. I can't wait to move onto Div 1 because I am having a blast (after having chosen an initial career at a Credit Union - Finance) So good luck, have fun, study hard. vee