Being sad during the winter months used to be referred to as the “winter blues,” but those gloomy emotions can now be diagnosed as a legitimate depressive disorder.

“Nobody is absolutely certain, but it seems to be a substantial number of people, when it gets to be late fall, early winter, that becomes to all appearances depressed,” said Dr. James Franklin, clinical psychologist and director of training at Graham Health Center.

According to WebMD.com, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is most likely to affect people who live in areas where winter days are very short or there are big changes in the amount of daylight over the span of the year. Younger people, women and people who have relatives that were diagnosed with it also have an increased risk.

“I get more depressed at the end of the winter because it’s not as beautiful outside,” said Erin Sobetski, a sophomore majoring in mathematics. “When you look outside for a distraction, it’s not as lovely and pretty as it usually is.”

SAD symptoms, which usually start in September or October and last until May,  can affect mood, health and daily life in many different ways.

Discouraged moods, loss of interest in enjoyable activities, eating more and being tired are also common symptoms.

“(People) become lethargic, their metabolism slows down, they put on weight, they lose interest in being active,” Franklin said. “This of course makes participating in the usual demands of public life very difficult and frustrating because they are really not up to it, they become sad, morose and they get depressed.”

Freshman Victoria Craw does not suffer from SAD, but has noticed changes in her mood and energy during the winter months.

“(The colder weather) makes me just want to stay inside and not do much,” Craw said. “It makes me want to hibernate.”

Franklin has worked with several students who exhibited symptoms of SAD. He also admits to seeing a greater number of students as it gets colder, but doesn’t blame it strictly on the colder weather.

“(Seeing more students in the winter months) is a little confounded,” he said. “The middle of the fall term is when everybody starts flunking out of school and getting stressed. The winter term is when they start doing it again. You would expect to get a greater influx because of the stress and pressure and you would expect to have more people with emotional difficulties around that time of year anyway.”

Due to the drastic change in life by starting at a new school, college students are at an extremely vulnerable position to become depressed,  according to Franklin.

“It’s a stressful thing; all this independence plus the additional demands of the academics,” Franklin said. “Going off to college, in most ways, is extremely challenging. If you’ve got any sort of predisposition of becoming depressed, that kind of situation can give you the extra nudge.”

Students experiencing depression can receive help. SAD responds to many different kinds of treatment, including anti-depressants. Other treatment methods may include standard counseling or light therapy.

“There are lamps you can buy that produce the kind of light you get during the summer,” Franklin said. “People who have their environments lit with that kind of lighting seem to do better in terms of their SAD.”

Seasonal changes in mood are completely normal as long as they do not inhibit daily life, Franklin said.

“It is different than just being unhappy about something, because everyone gets unhappy about something at one time or another, and then they get over it,” Franklin said.

According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, seasonal blues may potentially develop into SAD. However, both can be avoided quite easily.

“Take good care of yourself emotionally, maintain a good support system and stay active,” Franklin said. “Eating healthy, not doing drugs, not trying to live on coffee and exercise regularly. (Exercise) can easily fall by the wayside in college, which is why it is nice we have a good rec center here.”

Even though most students shouldn’t be too concerned with developing SAD, Franklin believes it is important that they are aware of the signs and symptoms.

Those experiencing symptoms of SAD or other depressive disorders, can make an appointment with a counselor at Graham Health Center, which is located next to Wilson Hall and Bear Lake, by calling 248-370-2341.