The weather has been less than uplifting this past week in Vicksburg. The rain and cold is enough to make one go a little stir crazy. But for those experiencing changes in their moods — more than just the winter blues getting them down —it could be seasonal affective disorder.

Often called, seasonal depression, SAD is a mood disorder that occurs each year at the same time. It usually starts in fall and ends in the spring.

The Cleveland Clinic website reports that approximately one half million people in the U.S. suffer from SAD.

“If someone is diagnosed with depression, they may have a higher chance of suffering from SAD,” said Dr. Phil Scurria, a psychiatrist with the Merit Health River Region West Campus, in Vicksburg.

It is thought that SAD could be brought on from a lack of sunlight.

“You rarely see SAD in the south. It is more prevalent in the North and in Alaska where the days are shorter,” Scurria said.

Light therapy can be an effective treatment for SAD.

“Nerve endings that run behind your eyes to the back of the brain get stimulated by neurotransmitters,” Scurria said.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, and if its levels drop depression may occur.

“Light boxes help,” he said, and they are available for sale over the counter or can also be prescribed by a doctor.

A light box mimics outdoor light, and they come in different shapes and sizes and brightness levels.

Light boxes are not regulated by the FDA, and the Mayo Clinic website suggest that it is important to understand their options.

Symptoms of SAD are similar to depression, Scurria said.

“A person may have trouble sleeping or they may sleep too much,” he said. Other symptoms include a feeling of worthlessness, the inability to concentrate or enjoy one’s self and thoughts of death — not killing themselves, but focusing on death.

“When people cry out of the blue,” Scurria said, may be another symptom.

In addition to getting more, light, some people may require antidepressants, he said.

Exercise is also a means to combat SAD.

“It is time to see a doctor when SAD impairs your ability to function as opposed to just feeling sad,” Scurria said.