What you need to know about seasonal depression

As daylight hours shrink, New Hampshire healthcare providers are encouraging residents to watch for seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Symptoms can resemble depression and include changes in sleep or appetite, feelings of worthlessness and loss of interest in usual activities. A clinician at Cheshire Medical Center explained that reduced sunlight may affect serotonin, while longer periods of darkness can increase melatonin. Winter-pattern SAD affects an estimated 13 million Americans.