Seasonal Changes in Mood and Creative Activity among Eminent Italian Writers

2007 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 771-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Barbato ◽  
Simona Piemontese ◽  
Greta Pastorello

A sample of 33 eminent Italian writers was studied. They were nominees of three of the most important literary Italian awards (Strega, Campiello, and Viareggio). The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire was mailed to 105 writers during the period October 2003 and January 2004, of whom 39 replied. 33 ( M age = 54.5 yr., SD=12.5; 8 women and 25 men) completed the questionnaire. Among respondents, spring and summer months showed highest ratings of “feel best.” During the summer a decline in creativity was not significant; respondents also reported sleeping least. Scores on the Global Seasonality Score suggested writers appeared to show higher seasonal sensitivity than the general population. Seasonal changes were considered as a problem by a majority of them. Although writers showed high seasonal sensitivity, no significant relationship was found between the seasonal pattern of mood and self-reported creativity.

2007 ◽  
Vol 104 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 161-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Eagles ◽  
Neil W. Scott ◽  
Isobel M. Cameron ◽  
Samantha M. Wileman ◽  
Simon A. Naji

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj Kumar Mittal ◽  
Shubham Mehta ◽  
Ram Kumar Solanki ◽  
Mukesh Kumar Swami ◽  
Parth Singh Meena

<p><strong>Background.</strong> Researchers have evinced interest in the effect of seasonal variations on mood and behavioural patterns in affective disorders. </p><p><strong>Objective. </strong>To study seasonality in bipolar disorder (BD) patients and also the factors affecting this seasonality. </p><p><strong>Method. </strong>Forty-nine patients with BD in euthymic phase were recruited and analysed using<strong> </strong>the<strong> </strong>Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. </p><p><strong>Results. </strong>Most of the patients were morning types but chronotype had no influence on seasonality. Age of patient and number of episodes were the most important factors affecting seasonality in BD. </p><p><strong>Conclusion. </strong>Seasonality and its influencing factors must be considered while managing bipolar disorder.</p>


2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Lúcia Vendel ◽  
Sabine Granado Lopes ◽  
César Santos ◽  
Henry Louis Spach

Studies were carried out on fish assemblages in a tidal flat. Samples were obtained monthly at low tide of the half moon in the tidal flat of Paranaguá Bay, Brazil, with two seine nets, one with a 1 mm mesh, 30 m in length and 3 m in height and another with a 10 mm mesh, 65 m in length and 2 m in height. A total of 8,890 fish were captured, comprising 24 families and 53 species. The most abundant species were Harengula clupeola and Atherinella brasiliensis, which represented 63.4% of the total, capture. A seasonal tendency was observed in the abundance of fishes, with less fishes being captured during winter and part of spring. The number of species showed a seasonal pattern, with the gradual decrease through winter and a marked increase in summer. The community structure index indicated seasonal changes in the assemblage. The faunistic similarities between months separated the 12 months into four major groups. The seasonal pattern was apparent in the numerically dominant species and the Cluster Analysis revealed five main groups.


2002 ◽  
Vol 180 (5) ◽  
pp. 394-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Kendrick

In this issue, Eagles et al report that people suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are heavy users of primary health care services (Eagles et al, 2002, this issue). Nearly 10% of patients attending practices in Aberdeen screened positive for SAD using the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ; Rosenthal et al, 1987), among whom around half of those attending for interview fulfilled DSM–IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria for recurrent major depression with seasonal pattern. The patients with SAD had consulted significantly more frequently over a 5-year period, with a variety of symptoms both related and unrelated to SAD, and had received significantly more prescriptions, investigations and referrals than patients found not to fulfil the criteria for SAD.


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 880-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janna Volkov ◽  
Kelly J. Rohan ◽  
Samina M. Yousufi ◽  
Minh-Chau Nguyen ◽  
Michael A. Jackson ◽  
...  

Duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion, a marker of “biological night” that relates to sleep duration, is longer in winter than in summer in patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), but not in healthy controls. In this study of African and African American college students, we hypothesized that students who met criteria for winter SAD or subsyndromal SAD (S-SAD) would report sleeping longer in winter than in summer. In addition, based on our previous observation that Africans report more “problems” with change in seasons than African Americans, we expected that the seasonal changes in sleep duration would be greater in African students than in African American students. Based on Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) responses, African American and African college students in Washington, D.C. (N = 575) were grouped into a winter SAD/S-SAD group or a no winter diagnosis group, and winter and summer sleep length were determined. We conducted a 2 (season) × 2 (sex) × 2 (ethnicity) × 2 (winter diagnosis group) ANCOVA on reported sleep duration, controlling for age. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that African and African American students with winter SAD/S-SAD report sleeping longer in the summer than in the winter. No differences in seasonality of sleep were found between African and African American students. Students with winter SAD or S-SAD may need to sacrifice sleep duration in the winter, when their academic functioning/efficiency may be impaired by syndromal or subsyndromal depression, in order to meet seasonally increased academic demands.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherri Melrose

Seasonal affective disorder or SAD is a recurrent major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern usually beginning in fall and continuing into winter months. A subsyndromal type of SAD, or S-SAD, is commonly known as “winter blues.” Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer. Symptoms center on sad mood and low energy. Those most at risk are female, are younger, live far from the equator, and have family histories of depression, bipolar disorder, or SAD. Screening instruments include the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). Typical treatment includes antidepressant medications, light therapy, Vitamin D, and counselling. This paper provides an overview of SAD.


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