4
Friday, December 2,1994
Lack of Sunlight Brings On Winter Blues
But Chapel Hill Residents
Aren’t Prone to Suffer From
Seasonal Affective Disorder
BY GREG KALISS
STAFF WRITER
Winter's colder weather and shorter days
can bring more health concerns than cold
toes, the flu and a need for earmuffs.
A serious psychological ailment called
Seasonal Affective Disorder can be the
mental equivalent of frostbite.
SAD is a type of depression caused by
the lack of sunlight during the winter. Its
sufferers report feeling sluggish, needing
more sleep, lacking motivation and having
other depression-related symptoms.
And some reports say that its effects are
felt by nearly 35 million Americans, most
of them women. So, “the winter blues”
aren’t just a mythical creation. Some people
may be suffering from a genuine, weather
related depression.
Although all research on the disorder is
relatively recent, studies suggest that ex
cess melatonin, produced by the body dur
ing long periods of darkness, is responsible
for feelings of depression.
If excess melatonin is the root of the
disorder, it probably won’t be too frequent
among UNC students. Both Linda
Craighead, associate professor of psychol
ogy at UNC, and Lawrence Gusman, a
clinical psychologist in Southfield, Mich.,
ACKLAND
FROM PAGE 3
for free with their UNC ONE cards. The
collector as well as three of the artists will
be present.
The Ackland is also useful to University
professors and teaching assistants, who
take their classes to the museum.
“We have an excellent resource in the
Ackland,” said English graduate student
Annalee Cato, who has taken her classes to
visit the museum during class. “I enjoy
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Signs of Seasonal
Affective Disorder
Do you find you have less energy
than usual?
Do you need more sleep than usual?
Do you have no control over your
appetite or weight?
Do you feel less productive, less
creative?
Do you withdraw socially from people
or enjoy life less?
Do you feel sad. down or depressed?
If you answered "yes' to three or more
of these questions, you may have SAD.
SOURCE: DR. NORMAN ROSENTHAL
pointed out that the area’s climate could
keep SAD from being a problem.
“It’s always going to be a low-frequency
phenomenon, particularly around here,”
Craighead said. “It’ll probably be getting a
lot more attention in places like Alaska and
the Scandinavian countries.”
SAD is still a subcategory of depression,
and its diagnosis takes time and is difficult
to distinguish from standard depression,
Craighead said.
“It’s definitely a judgment call,” she
said. “Most of the time, in order to make a
diagnosis, a person would have to have a
clear case of depression several years in a
row, in which it occurred in winter and
having the students get some hands-on
experience with the University’s facilities. ”
Carolyn Wood, Ackland’s educator for
University audiences, creates programs that
relate to some class curricula.
“One ofthe aspects of my job is to create
tours that are tailored to suit the needs and
objectives of the classes at various levels,”
she said.
Wood also designs programs that in
clude lectures, performers and conferences
in conjunction with a particular exhibi
tion. Wood has planned programs for vari-
ARTS & FEATURES
cleared up on its own.”
Once a diagnosis has been made,
Craighead said, treating the ailment is not
difficult. “It’s actually quite treatable,” she
said, noting that there were two different
treatment options for the disorder.
The first option is taking anti-depres
sant drugs, just as a person might for stan
dard depression. But the second method,
light therapy, is unique to SAD sufferers.
In light therapy, patients are exposed to
extra bright light every day in an effort to
simulate sunlight. The idea of the therapy
is that exposure to extra light will make up
for a lack of natural light and prevent the
body from producing excess melatonin.
Most patients try the light therapy on a
trial basis after a conjectured SAD diagno
sis is made, Craighead said, adding that
she had heard of patients for whom the
light therapy had been successful.
And, because light therapy has fewer
possible side effects than anti-depressants,
it can be attractive to those who think their
depression is weather-related. However,
not everyone is sold on the idea that SAD
is an actual ailment. “I’m not sure it’s a
genuine disorder,” Gusman said.
While light treatment seemed to im
prove patients’ depression, there was no
absolutely clear correlation between the
amount of light and any physiological
changes that could cause depression,
Gusman said. “Who knows whether it’s
physiologically orpsychologically caused?”
Gusman said. “There needs to be more
research to clarify that.”
ous departments, including English, politi
cal science, anthropology, history, eco
nomics and religious Studies.
For instance, she designed a program
for one political science class that worked
with a photography exhibition. The ex
hibit dealt with images of poverty as they
related to gender.
Wood has also designed programs for
economics classes that show how the value
of art is determined. She said, “I would
encourage people to use the Ackland as a
resource regardless of their field of study.”
TAR HEEL SPORTS SHORTS
r Saturday, December 3
FENCING - CAROLINA DUELS
All day at the Smith Center
s:OOpm Carolina vs. Duke
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs.
Robert Morris
2:OOpm at Carmichael Auditorium
Sunday, December 4
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. NC A&T
3:oopm at Carmichael Auditorium
Sutdents & faculty admitted _ J
, FBEEWID! X naraggi,
Play Makers Cos. Combines Magic,
Spirituality in Holiday Production
‘Beauty and the Beast’
Features Distinct Twist
With Oriental Costuming
BY ALISON MAXWELL
ASSISTANT ARTS/DIVERSIONS EDITOR
At the conclusion ofthe arduous semes
ter, escape into a happier time and place
than studying for exams go see the
Play Makers Repertory Company’s revival
of “Beauty and the Beast.”
According to Susanna Rinehart, who
plays Belle in the production, the play can
be a re-entry for students into a “childlike
Wo “The play 'Reality and the
leaves room for Beast 1
audience’s Play Makers
imagination... Repertory Company
often you see a Paul Green Theater
lot of cynicism Through Dec. 21
on a college
campus with people wondering what is life
all about again ... with the play you can
have a collective experience,” she said.
The performance, directed by UNC
graduate Michael Wilson, follows the same
storyline as the Walt Disney classic. But
this version adds a distinctive twist that
of the nontraditional eastern Asian flair.
This means the production will use Orien
tal influences in sets and costumes coupled
with a dreamlike quality in lighting and
music.
“The theater brings the spirituality back
into the Christmas holiday in a universal
way,” Rinehart explained.
Wilson added that the play was full of
magic and enchantment with lots of glitz.
“It’s a visually beautiful production,” he
said.
“Beauty and the Beast” unfolds the story
mnf \
jpi
Susanna Rinehart as Belle
surrounded by the'bed bugs' in
PlayMakers' 'Beauty and the Beast.'
of redemptive love between a young beau
tifiil woman (Belle) and a beast played by
actor Ken Strong.
The 18th-century story was adapted for
Play Makers by Tom Huey, playwright-in
residence at the University and at Guilford
College in Greensboro.
Wilson described the plot as a young
girl’s journey with two protagonists the
hero and the heroine. “Kids of all ages can
identify with the play on a personal level,
there is an immediate identification,” he
said.
Rinehart agreed: “Facingyourfear,fac
ing the unknown, meeting your fears head
on anyone can relate to that.”
Both said the play dealt with being trans
formed by love, an idea many think of
during the holidays.
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“.The beast obviously has a
transformation, and everyone
else transforms to find the
beauty within ...it is the
discovery of the best of who we
are. ”
SUSANNA RINEHART
Belle in "Beauty and the Beast"
“The beast obviously has a transforma
tion, and everyone else transforms to find
the beauty within ... it is the discovery of
the best of who we are,” Rinehart said.
Those who viewed the production last
year will find many subtle changes in this
year’s performance. “It’s nice to have the
bedrock of work from before, but what we
struggled with lastyear is solved,” Rinehart
said.
Wilson said he had added anew open
ing, new costumes and new choreography.
But perhaps the most interesting change is
the emphasis on the beast’s humanity. The
beast, which wears a massive 9-foot-tall
costume, now has anew robe made from
new material. He also is able to blink his
eyelids, point his fingers and clench his
fists.
“The production moves me more this
year,” Wilson said.
“Beauty and the Beast” officially opens
Saturday, with a preview performance at 8
p.m. today.
Performances will continue at 8 p.m.
Tuesdays through Saturdays and at 2 p.m.
Sundays through Dec. 21.
Tickets are now on sale for all perfor
mances. Ticket prices range from $9 for
Tuesday community nights to $27.50 for
opening night. Call 962-PLAY for more
information.