South of the Winter Depression: Relocating towards the equator as a treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Abstract

Relocating closer to the equator has been assumed for decades to be a viable solution for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD); however, up to this date, it has never been systematically studied. The lack of studies in latitudes closer to the equator also brings the question of whether previous observations were due to larger exposure to sunlight or affected solemnly by the different latitudes. A self-reported questionnaire was published online (N = 1110), yet no viable conclusions could be drawn due to a large contamination in the sampling process, ending with a sample too small for a significant analysis (n = 165). Therefore, in this study we delineate the measures and observations taken to detect bogus participants in our sample. Future studies with improved sampling techniques are needed to explore the hypothesis in this study.