The University of Idaho Argonaut

The leaves are turning and the days are getting shorter, which means the time is ripe for Seasonal Affective Disorder, better known as SAD, to push its weight on students.
“Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that usually comes on with the decrease in sunlight and brings on mild to moderate symptoms of depression,” said Sharon Fritz, a psychologist working for the University of Idaho’s Counseling and Testing Center.
Around 9 percent of UI students find themselves affected by the disorder, which runs its course through fall, winter and into spring. Since the sun can set by 5 p.m. in the height of winter, people affected with the disorder often have trouble dealing with the darkness, Fritz said.

Tim Rehnberg, a Moscow counselor who offers his services privately, said around 10 to 20 percent of people who come into his office for treatment are suffering from SAD.
“Seasonal Affective Disorder often affects people who are suffering from some other type of major depressive disorders,” Rehnberg said.

Since the change in sunlight is gradual, SAD comes on gradually. Usually, it is in full swing by the dead of winter when the days are
the shortest.
The best way to treat the disorder is through the use of phototherapy lights, Fritz said. These lights cost about $150 and mimic the light given off by the sun. Fritz encourages students suffering from the disorder to buy one of the phototherapy lights themselves, but if they are unable to do so, they can use the lights available in the Counseling and Testing Center.
Rehnberg also encourages the use of phototherapy lights, but he said he believes anti-depressants can also help the healing process with
some patients.

Treatment underneath the lights lasts for 15 to 30 minutes, and people with the disorder are encouraged to undergo treatment daily. In the Counseling and Testing Center, the lights are set up so people using them can do homework, read or engage in many other activities,
Fritz said.
However, there is usually more than one reason that brings students to the Counseling and Testing Center. Fritz said a high percentage of students that use the services offered have substance abuse issues. In addition to basic counseling services and the phototheraphy lights, the Counseling and Testing Center offers counseling that’s directed toward substance abuse.

Fritz said many students receive less than 10 counseling sessions at the Counseling and Testing Center. She said many patients come back later if they need to. For Fritz, about 40 percent of the students she treats come back in a later semester.
Approximately 10 percent of UI students use the Counseling and Testing Center. At any given time, the most a student will have to wait if they need the services offered is two weeks. However, if a student needs immediate help, then they can get it from a counselor without having to wait.

Any student interested in taking advantage of the services offered at the Counseling and Testing Center is encouraged to visit and set up an appointment.