Seasonal Affective Disorder (also known as seasonal depression) is a common mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout the year experience depressive symptoms as the season changes, year after year. Even more common is a milder form of SAD, Subsyndromal Seasonal Affective Disorder, which does not occur every year.  Usually the disorder clears up on its own and doesn’t lead to further mental health problems. But repeated depressive patterns can be a signifier of an underlying major depressive disorder, and rare cases of SAD can result in suicide, if left untreated. Luckily, there are many ways you can see through the winter blues.

Seasonal mood variations are believed to be related to light. Rates of SAD are much higher in Arctic regions, such as Northern Finland, and are also affected by cloud cover. At times, patients may not feel depressed at all, but lack the energy needed to perform everyday tasks. This should not be confused with the normal shift to lower energy levels people experience in winter, often misleading people to believe they have a physical problem that should be remedied with various therapies or drugs.

via Seasonal Affective Disorder – AllTreatment.com.