Seasonal affective disorder can be triggered by shorter days

Associated Press · Carla K. Johnson · 2026-11-04 11:01 UTC

People prone to seasonal depression are bracing themselves as winter approaches. Many have found strategies to get through the dark days. Depression that begins in the fall and eases in the spring or summer is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Doctors recommend starting the morning by sitting near a special device that emits light about 20 times brighter than regular indoor light. Working with a therapist can help people with seasonal depression identify and modify unhelpful thoughts. And doctors recommend keeping a regular sleep schedule and walking outside, even on cloudy days.

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As winter approaches and daylight hours grow shorter, people prone to seasonal depression can feel it in their bodies and brains.

The millions of people estimated to have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, typically have episodes of depression that begin in the fall and ease in the spring or summer. One trigger for SAD is when clocks revert to standard time, which happened Sunday across much of the U.S., bringing darker afternoons. A milder form, subsyndromal SAD, is recognized by medical experts, and there’s also a summer variety of seasonal depression, though less is known about it.

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