Sound Medicine -- December 21, 2002

Hosts Barbara Lewis, Dr. Mike Koch, and Dr. Steve Bogdewic talk to experts about:

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Kids & Christmas greed

Setting high expectations for children

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

If it's gray and gloomy outside and your mood matches the weather, you have a small sense of what seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is like. SAD is an overwhelming depression that seems triggered by the lack of light. To understand this condition, we talk with Indiana University physician Dr. Anantha Shekhar, psychiatrist and director of the Anxiety Disorders clinic at the IU School of Medicine.

Dr. Shekhar describes SAD as a mood disorder that follows a seasonal pattern. It is very similar to bipolar disorder (aka manic depression), but recurs annually during the year's shortest days -- from September through December. Patients suffer full depression for at least 2 weeks and have disturbances of sleep and appetite. Because incidents of SAD are highest when days are shortest, lack of light is believed to cause the problem. It also tends to be genetic, says Dr. Shekhar.

Dr. Shekhar discusses the role of seratonin and melatonin in body chemistry and how changes in these chemical levels affect depressed individuals. He also explains how the lightbox can help patients with milder cases of depression. More severe cases require antidepressant medication. Dr. Shekhar recommends talk therapy as a way for patients to prepare for the SAD months.

Resources:

Primer on SAD from the National Mental Health Association.

Good collection of factsheets and professional articles on SAD collected by Dr. Ivan Goldberg, a physician in private practice.

Kids & Christmas greed

A keeping-up-with-the-Joneses attitude is something parents often face when kids plead for the year's "hot" gift during Christmas and Hanukkah holidays. It's a problem, but there are ways for parents to minimize holiday materialism. We hear advice from Ann Lagges, PhD, assistant professor of clinical psychology at the IU School of Medicine.

Although peer pressure is stiff for kids, Dr. Lagges suggests parents who don't insist on gifts themselves are also strong influences. Parents can emphasize or create other holiday traditions such as family get-togethers, religious observances, or volunteerism. Emphasize giving, she adds. And don't feel guilty about saying "no" to unreasonable demands. Skip the request for a shopping list, and limit the number of gifts kids receive. Prepare your family for a new approach, and perhaps some disappointment. In divorced or extended family situations, Dr. Lagges advises discussing your approach with other adult gift-givers.

Resources

Great tips for holiday stress prevention from North Carolina's Smart Start.

The Dollar Stretcher Web site has lots creative of ideas for inexpensive and homemade holiday gifts.

ABC's Good Morning America offers a transcript of a question & answer session with parenting expert Ann Pleshette Murphy.

Setting high expectations for children

What should we expect from our kids, regardless of the time of year? Dr. Morris Green, director of behavioral pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine, says when parents define expectations year-round, not just at holiday time, their children perform better behaviorally and academically.

Dr. Green believes both parents and schools should have high expectations for children, saying it helps them perform better in school. As for Christmas expectations, Dr. Green says Santa Claus is a nice myth, a way for kids to express their own wishes and high expectations. Parents are the best role models, he emphasizes, and those who read, listen to music and news, and who are generally intellectually curious, set high standards for their children by example. He recommends parents be involved with kids daily and express interest in even small events at school. This kind of attention, as well as unconditional positive regard, is important for children's self esteem, says Dr. Green.

Resources

Booklet called "Hard Work and High Expectations: Motivating Students to Learn" from the U.S. Department of Education.

Read more holiday tips for parents from Dr. Morris Green.

 

Upcoming programs:
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