Winter is coming. Here's how to spot — and treat — signs of seasonal depression

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/03/ [login to see] /seasonal-depression-symptoms-light-treatment
The days are getting shorter, darker and colder, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. And while there's a lot to look forward to in winter, it's not necessarily the most wonderful time of the year for everyone.

Many people have experienced the "winter blues" in some form or another. But in some cases, those changes in mood, sleep and appetite can be signs of something more serious: a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

"It's normal for people to feel a little worse in the winter," says Dr. Paul Desan, director of the Winter Depression Research Clinic at the Yale School of Medicine. "But for some people, these changes are really severe, and they add up to what is equivalent to a clinical episode of major depression."