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Telehealth care is available in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, and New York. You must be in your selected state during the visit.
For general educational purposes only, not a substitute for specific medical advice. Consult with a licensed provider before implementing any adjustments to your treatment regimen.
As the days get shorter, many people notice they have less energy and want to stay in more. For some, those changes go further and turn into a type of depression called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Knowing the difference can help you decide when to get support.
What Seasonal Affective Disorder Is
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that follows a seasonal pattern. For most people, symptoms start in late fall or early winter and ease in spring and summer. A less common pattern brings symptoms in spring or summer instead.
SAD is more common in people who live farther from the equator, where winter days are shorter. That includes much of Michigan, New York, Illinois and Indiana. It is also more common in women, young adults and people with a personal or family history of depression or bipolar disorder.
Signs to Watch For
SAD can include the symptoms of depression, such as feeling down most of the day, losing interest in things you usually enjoy, trouble concentrating and feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness. The winter pattern often also includes:
- Sleeping much more than usual or having trouble getting up
- Low energy and feeling heavy or sluggish
- Craving carbohydrates and gaining weight
- Pulling away from friends, family and activities
A diagnosis of SAD usually requires that the seasonal pattern repeat for at least two years. Your first episode is still worth evaluating, though, because the symptoms are real and treatable either way.
Winter Blues or SAD?
Feeling a bit flat on dark days is common and usually does not keep you from functioning. SAD is more than that. It affects work, relationships, sleep and daily routines, and it lasts for weeks rather than days. If you are not sure which you are dealing with, that is a reasonable question to bring to a visit.
Treatments That Can Help
Several treatments have evidence for SAD, and they are often combined:
- Light therapy. A light box that gives off very bright light, commonly 10,000 lux, is used each morning for a set amount of time. It should be designed for this purpose and used with a clinician’s guidance, especially if you have an eye condition, take medications that increase light sensitivity or have a history of bipolar disorder.
- Talk therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy, including a version adapted for SAD, can help change patterns of thinking and behavior that worsen winter depression.
- Medication. Antidepressants may be considered, and some are started before symptoms usually begin for people with a predictable pattern.
- Daily habits. Getting outside in daylight, keeping a regular sleep and wake time and staying physically and socially active can support other treatment.
Vitamin D supplements have shown mixed results for SAD. Checking a vitamin D level may make sense if you are at risk for deficiency, but supplements are not a substitute for treatment.
Sleep and Mood Go Together
Oversleeping, waking unrefreshed and daytime sleepiness are common in winter depression, but they can also point to other problems such as sleep apnea, thyroid disease or anemia. A clinician can look at mood and sleep together instead of assuming one explains the other.
When to Get Help
Consider an appointment if low mood or low energy lasts more than two weeks, gets in the way of daily life or returns every year around the same time. Get help right away if you have thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at any time, or call 911 in an emergency.
Learn more on our online mental health care page.
Get Support
Wade’s Care First provides telehealth care in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada and New York, with same-day appointments when available. Visits are with Charles Wade, FNP-BC, a board-certified family nurse practitioner.
We accept many major insurance plans, including Original Medicare (Indiana only), Medicaid (Indiana and Illinois only), UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Humana and Cigna. Plan participation varies by state, and self-pay visits are available.
If shorter days are taking more out of you each year, a plan made before the darkest months can make the season easier.
Book at wadescarefirst.com.
Answers connected to this topic.
Can depression cause physical symptoms such as fatigue or changes in sleep?
Yes. Depression can affect energy, appetite, sleep, concentration and physical well-being. Medical conditions and medications may also contribute.
Can trouble sleeping be related to anxiety or depression?
Yes. Sleep and mental health affect each other. We review mood, stress and other possible contributors during the assessment.
What if my mental health symptoms suddenly become unsafe?
If you may harm yourself or someone else or are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to an emergency department. In the United States, call or text 988 for crisis support.
Further reading: nimh.nih.gov · medlineplus.gov.
