With the change in seasons now fully upon us, days are getting shorter, and the risk of seasonal affective disorder is turning into very real suffering for literally millions of Americans.  Most of this suffering can be prevented, if people recognize the cause of their symptoms and get help.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) most often visits patients during the fall or early winter.  It has also been called “winter depression” or “winter blues,” but its symptoms mimic major depression of any other kind—the distinguishing characteristic in this case being its connection to less sunlight.   Those symptoms can include sadness, tearfulness, decreased concentration, decreased self-esteem, low energy, alterations in sleep patterns and appetite, loss of interest in hobbies and work and, in severe cases, thoughts of suicide.

If you have struggled with repeated bouts of depression in the past, it’s very important to figure out if you can identify this kind of seasonal pattern.  But SAD doesn’t necessarily manifest itself with serious symptoms every year, so all of us need to be alert this year to whether we’re burdened by it.

SAD costs the economy dearly in lost productivity from employees, employers and entrepreneurs fighting its symptoms.  But it will also inflict an additional and very substantial financial burden on the millions of families directly affected, at a time when so many families are struggling already.  That’s one reason why SAD may be a bigger threat this year than the H1N1 flu, even though SAD gets a lot less attention.

SAD responds to the same treatments used to fight non-seasonal depression.  Psychotherapy is tremendously helpful, as is exercise and, when indicated, medication.  Another promising and safe treatment is transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which involves repeatedly stimulating a particular area of the brain using magnetic waves. 

I have seen many, many of my patients also benefit tremendously from the use of bright light therapy, which involves sitting for a short time each day in front of specially designed portable lights (which are relatively inexpensive and widely available) that replicate sunlight (without exposing the user to any damaging “tanning” light).   One of these devices is called the goLite, but just Googling “bright light therapy for depression” will bring up lots of choices.  If fall and winter and “down” times for you, then get one of these lights and use it.  It could change your life—for about $150.

It’s time we took SAD very seriously, given the fact that it causes so much damage to so many lives and is so responsive to treatment.  It’s the psychiatric epidemic that comes every year—and one we already know how to defeat.

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author. His book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a new self-help movement including www.livingthetruth.com. Dr. Ablow can be emailed at info@keithablow.com.

Of the nearly two thirds of U.S. adults surveyed, 64 percent agree that they are filled with greater joy soaking up the summer sun, then bundling up in winter coats. According to studies done at Cornell University, the winter blues and its more severe foil, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), affects about four times as many women as men.

Although the science is still relatively new, research has begun to reveal how mindful eaters can choose their fuel to help achieve or maintain a desired mental state.  Our moods are linked to the production or use of certain brain chemicals. Scientists have identified many of the natural chemicals in foods that change the way we feel. Food influences neurotransmitters by attaching to brain cells and changing the way they behave. This opens pathways to those cells so that other mood-altering chemicals can come through the gates and attach themselves to brain cells.

So the next time you want to change your mood, take a walk to the kitchen — it might just save you a trip to the therapist!

To ease feelings of depression:  Eat more fish!  Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, sardines and tuna) may help ease depressive symptoms.  A recent study showed that eating fish twice a week was associated with lower risk of depression and suicide. Magnesium, can also ease symptoms of depression. Enjoying a bowl of whole-grain cereal and soy milk topped with walnuts will supply you with magnesium and increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which will ease your frame of mind into the afternoon frenzy when your kids come home.

To get out of a bad mood: A lack of selenium can cause bad moods. Individuals suffering from too little selenium have been shown to be more anxious, irritable, hostile and depressed than people with normal levels of selenium. Pistachios, salmon, and shitake mushrooms can instantaneously get you out of this funk.

When you want to feel pleasant and alert: Eating foods that stimulate the release of dopamine may produce enjoyable feelings. Phenylnine is an essential amino acid found in the brain and blood that can convert in the body to tyrosine, which in turn is used to synthesize dopamine instantly increasing your energy and alertness. Start your morning off with a bowl of hot oatmeal to warm you up try adding skim milk and sliced bananas to add a boost of dopamine and to leave you feeling happy throughout the day. Breakfast is a must because it provides glucose to your brain, making you mentally efficient and vigilant.

When you want to feel happy:  When we don’t get enough exposure to sunlight our moods and physical health may suffer. More specifically, serotonin levels, a hormone associated with elevating your mood rises when you’re exposed to sunlight. So we often feel sad during the darker, winter months.  An amino acid, tryptophan helps raise serotonin levels in your body, causing you to feel upbeat once again. Eating foods that are high in tryptophan such as, simple carbs, low-fat cottage cheese, nuts, and chicken will help cure your winter blues.  A slice of whole-wheat toast with low-fat cottage cheese and jam is a sure way to boost your mood. 

Get Moving: Studies show that anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour of exercise every day can have a positive impact on your mood. When we exercise our body releases endorphins that help us to feel happy, but it also has been shown to reduce stress, which often intensifies feelings of depression brought on by the winter blues.  It can also increase your joy by making your skinny jeans and little black dress fit better, and is there any greater feeling then that?!

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and founder of Skinnyandthecity.com.  She is also the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being.  For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com.

With the days getting shorter, and sunlight becoming more precious, millions of Americans will experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  SAD is actual depression that afflicts sufferers again and again during the fall and winter months (although others experience recurrent depression during the warmer seasons, instead).  Symptoms typically include a decrease in mood, anxiety, low energy, trouble concentrating, an increased need for sleep, appetite changes (usually increased, including craving carbohydrates), decreased sexual feelings, hopelessness and a lack of interest in activities that the person used to enjoy.  Like other forms of major depression, SAD can also trigger thoughts of suicide.

The cause of SAD may relate to levels of two chemicals in the brain — melatonin and serotonin.  Excessive melatonin levels have been linked to depression, and melatonin levels in the brain tend to rise during the colder months.  Serotonin levels, conversely, fall during the winter, when exposure to sunlight is decreased.

Those who have experienced some of the symptoms listed above with the change of seasons last year should think about whether SAD is affecting you now or if it will affect you in the coming weeks and months.  If family members of yours have a similar pattern, that’s all the more reason to wonder whether SAD is responsible for what you’re feeling.

SAD, like every form of depression, is highly treatable.  Psychotherapy and medication are very effective.  But there’s a special treatment for SAD that can help in as many as 80 percent of cases: light therapy.  And trying light therapy first makes good sense, provided you aren’t experiencing severe symptoms, especially thoughts of harming yourself.

Many companies (including ETA Lighting Systems, Northern Light Technologies and LiteBook) sell light therapy devices that contain fluorescent or LED bulbs that mimic sunlight.  The bulbs are housed behind a plastic screen and don’t expose users to any harmful ultraviolet rays.  Sitting in front of a light box for as little as 30 minutes a day (although longer periods are required in some cases) can provide dramatic relief. 

Clinical trials haven’t yet convinced the Food and Drug Administration to approve bright light therapy as a treatment for SAD, but many scientists are convinced of its benefit.  Some clinical trials find it as effective as Prozac, with quicker results and many fewer side effects.  In my own practice, I’ve found it tremendously helpful for many patients over the years.

The first key to defeating SAD is recognizing it.  Too many people suffer needlessly, thinking they just hate the fall or winter, or get the blues when they can’t get outside enough.  But if you dread crisp air, falling leaves and the thought of snow on the ground, it’s worth wondering how intense that dread really is, and whether symptoms of SAD lurk behind it.

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author. His newest book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a new self-help movement. Check out Dr. Ablow’s website at livingthetruth.com.