Seasonal affective disorder is a seasonal pattern of major depression, not a diagnosis of its own. Episodes typically start in fall or winter and lift again by spring.
It looks different from how most people picture depression.
Common symptoms:
Sleeping much more than usual.
Craving carbohydrates, with increased appetite and weight gain.
Persistent fatigue and low motivation.
The leading explanation involves your body's internal clock. Shorter days shift your circadian rhythm and change melatonin and serotonin activity, part of why morning light can help correct it.
About 1 in 10 people at northern latitudes experience it, and roughly two-thirds of people who have it once will have it again the following winter.
If your mood, sleep, or energy reliably drop every fall and lift every spring, that pattern is worth naming to your provider, not writing off as just how you are in winter.
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