SAD in Alaska
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Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression brought on by winter's darkness. So it's not surprising that people living at more northern latitudes have higher incidences of SAD. Weather Notebook correspondent Amy Mayer filed this story from Fairbanks, at about the 64th parallel.

THE SUN SHINES ABOVE THE HORIZON IN FAIRBANKS FOR LESS THAN FOUR HOURS DURING THE SHORTEST DAYS. SUSAN DELISA HAD WEATHERED MANY NORTHERN WINTERS WHEN SHE STARTED SHOWING SIGNS OF SAD.

Usually, typically, it's wanting to sleep a lot more, wanting to eat more, having less energy, maybe being less social, having more trouble just functioning mentally, concentrating, being able to complete a task, focusing on what you need to do.

DELISA, A MASSAGE THERAPIST, TURNED TO LIGHT THERAPY. SITTING IN FRONT OF AN ULTRA-BRIGHT LIGHT BOX MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN HER MOOD AND ENERGY LEVEL. THERE'S RESEARCH TO SUPPORT HER EXPERIENCE, THOUGH SCIENCE DOESN'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW BRIGHT LIGHT AFFECTS THE BRAIN. DELISA FELT THE THERAPY SUCH A SUCCESS, SHE BECAME A LIGHT BOX DEALER. SHE SAYS FOR MILD WINTERTIME DEPRESSION, A LIGHT BOX IS A SAFE TREATMENT WITH FEW SIDE EFFECTS.

The lights contain no UV so they're generally safe for your eyes and skin. And the brightness, though it seems very bright, and they are bright compared to ordinary room or office lighting is actually not that bright compared to sunlight, if you're sitting fairly close to one of these boxes you may be getting 10,000 lux and that's supposed to be pretty close to what you're getting at say a temperate latitude on an overcast April day.

DELISA SAYS WHEN LIGHT THERAPY'S NOT ENOUGH, A DOCTOR MAY PRESCRIBE ANTI-DEPRESSANTS. BUT THE BEST NEWS IS THAT WHEN THE SUN COMES BACK, MOST SAD PATIENTS LEAVE THE BLUES BEHIND.