Seasonal Depression: Signs, Light Therapy and Help

Part of our Depression articles. For evaluation and medication management, see depression care at Ridge Way.

If your mood drops every year as the days get shorter, it may be more than the winter blues. Seasonal depression is a real form of depression with a pattern you can plan around. Here is how to recognize it, how light therapy is used, and when to get help.

What Is Seasonal Depression?

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) describes seasonal affective disorder as a type of depression with a recurring seasonal pattern. Symptoms last about 4 to 5 months of the year. The winter pattern begins in late fall or early winter. A summer pattern also exists.

The key word is pattern. Feeling low on a gray week is common. In seasonal depression, episodes of depression follow a recurring seasonal pattern rather than appearing only during an isolated difficult winter. NIMH notes that a diagnosis requires seasonal episodes in at least two consecutive years. You do not need to wait two years to get help. A first seasonal episode is still worth an evaluation.

What Are the Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Seasonal depression includes the core symptoms of depression, such as low mood most of the day, losing interest in things you usually enjoy, low energy, and trouble concentrating. NIMH lists several signs that are more typical of the winter pattern.

If low mood ever comes with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 now, and call 911 if you are in immediate danger.

How Does Light Therapy Work for Seasonal Depression?

Light therapy is one of the main treatments for the winter pattern. According to NIMH, it usually means sitting in front of a very bright light box of 10,000 lux every day for about 30 to 45 minutes, usually first thing in the morning. The idea is to make up for the light lost in shorter winter days.

Light boxes are sold without a prescription, but they are not for everyone. NIMH notes that people with certain eye diseases, or who take medications that increase sensitivity to sunlight, may need another option or medical supervision. Talk with a clinician before you start, and ask how to time it with any medication you take.

Mention any history of bipolar disorder before starting treatment. NIMH notes that SAD is more common in people with bipolar disorder, especially bipolar II, and the treatment plan may differ.

Other Treatments That Help

NIMH groups SAD treatment into light therapy, psychotherapy, antidepressant medication and vitamin D. Light therapy is used for winter-pattern SAD, while psychotherapy and antidepressants may be used for either seasonal pattern. Studies of vitamin D have reached mixed results, so a supplement should not be treated as a proven replacement for care.

Because the timing is predictable, NIMH notes that people with a history of SAD may benefit from planning treatment with a clinician before symptoms usually begin, before fall for the winter pattern or before spring for the summer pattern.

Ridge Way provides psychiatric evaluation and medication management, including deciding whether an antidepressant makes sense. We do not provide therapy. If therapy is part of your plan, we can refer you to an outside provider. Our page on depression care explains how we work.

When Seasonal Depression Needs More Than a Lamp

Consider an evaluation if the seasonal dip lasts weeks, makes work or home life hard, or comes back every year. Get help sooner if you are sleeping much more than usual, pulling away from people, or feeling hopeless. Our article on the early signs of depression can help you put words to what you notice.

Ridge Way provides psychiatric care across Georgia, by telehealth and at our Sugar Hill office. You can also start with our free depression screening. When you are ready, request an appointment and we will usually call you back within one business day.