Advice for Coping With Seasonal Depression, From 9 People Who Have It
Creative ways to maintain your mental health through winter
It’s December, and the darkness is officially here: In some parts of the country, daylight won’t last beyond 5 p.m. for the next month. It’s a depressing time for all but the most dedicated winter lovers, and for some people, the seasonal change can have real, concrete mental health consequences. Researchers estimate that roughly 6 percent of the U.S. population has seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
SAD is a form of seasonal depression that typically hits during the darkest time of the year, beginning in fall and lasting through spring (though it is possible, but less likely, to experience SAD in summer). People with the condition have many of the common symptoms of depression: low energy, loss of interest in daily activities, increase or decrease in appetite, trouble concentrating, sleep issues.
To treat it, health care professionals usually recommend some combination of medication, psychotherapy, and light therapy, where patients bask in the beams of a light box. (Psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal, who was the first to formally describe SAD, in 1984, also advises surrounding yourself with as much natural light as possible while inside: “Take one room in your house and paint the…
