Every year, as the temperature drops and the days darken, more than 66 million Americans display symptoms of depression. Known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), this condition causes focused periods of depression and lower moods for people during the fall and winter months. Although most sufferers exhibit only mild effects, around 10 million Americans experience severe symptoms that inhibit their ability to function day to day, according to Martin Klein, a Connecticut-based clinical psychologist in private practice who specializes in treatment of SAD.
Although the rise of seasonal depression happens every fall, this year it’s occurring in the middle of an already ongoing mental health crisis caused by COVID-19. According to Klein, studies have shown that around 80 percent of all Americans are dealing with some form of depression or stress since the pandemic began, causing the country’s depression rates to triple. And therapists and mental health experts anticipate that with colder days and longer nights ahead, SAD symptoms will worsen among those who are already struggling.
