Today is March 28^th—a time of the year when most of us consider Winter to be gone and Spring to be right around the corner. However, as we gaze out the window of our Bellevue, Washington office and watch the mix of rain and snow come down, we realize that Spring is still not quite in our grasp. Some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change (or don’t change soon enough). This disorder is known as SAD, seasonal depression, or seasonal mood disorder.

What causes SAD? According to the National Institutes of Health, it may be a lack of sunlight during winter, when the days are shorter. Seasonal mood disorder is much more common in the northern United States. Light therapy, where patients expose themselves to a special type of light for 30 minutes every day, often helps. Other treatments may include: 

• Medications
• Changes in diet
• Learning to manage stress
• Going to a sunny climate during the cold months