The days are getting colder and shorter as the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, approaches.

As daylight dwindles and temperatures drop, many people experience negative thoughts, an increased need to sleep, food cravings, weight gain, and other symptoms of depression.

“Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression,” psychology teacher Ian O’Donoghue said.

O’Donoghue said SAD usually occurs in northern countries around the world where it gets dark for longer times of the day. For example, a place may have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark, where other places may have four hours of light and 20 hours of dark.

“That’s gonna be traumatic for some people. Our body relies on the circadian rhythm which comes from the environment – which comes from the sunlight,” he said.

The season’s effect on the human body’s circadian rhythm may come from ancestors’ survival adaptation of eating and sleeping more and slowing down to conserve energy.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, which occurs only during certain times of the year, can cause some people to develop symptoms of depression.

“This is where in certain times of the year, like now for example, it’s getting dark earlier and you’re not spending as much time outside. Some people just fall into a funk,” O’Donoghue said.

Those affected may develop these symptoms every year.

“Depression is like a funk, but it’s more than just your average, everyday bad mood. To be diagnosed with major depression disorder, you need to have at least two weeks of major not-leaving-your-bed depression. It’s where you don’t do things, and things just start to get out of control. You can always trace this back to the change of seasons,” he said.

Like depression, it affects more women than men.

“Biologically speaking, it could be genetic. Some just have a predisposition for depression,” he said.

Anyone can have SAD, but an individual’s body chemistry affects one’s chances of having it.

“It could be three to five percent of the population may have SAD, and some may not even know it’s a real thing. They just think it’s the winter blues. This is more than just the winter blues. This is when you’re not engaging in activities, you’re not sleeping as much, you’re not having fun, and all of these things compound on each other,” he said.

This serious condition can be treated.

“Get outside, embrace it. If it’s extreme, if it’s every single year you go through this major depression with suicidal thoughts, you have to get out of that environment. That environment is not good for you, it’s hurting you,” O’Donoghue said.

When dealing with these symptoms, students can reach out and get help.

Social Worker Patrick Keclik said, “Go to a trusted staff member.”

Students may also fill out a form in student services and a social worker will call them down during the day, Keclik said.

“They will talk to the students about what’s going on and why they are feeling this way,” Keclik said.

If students want to take a more individual approach, they can focus on surrounding themselves in positive environments. Closing themselves off can make the condition worse.

“Connecting themselves to positive peers and having friends and family supporting them in this time is important. Just doing things that usually make them happy, whether that be coloring, listening to music, or singing will also help lift their mood,” Keclik said.

When dealing with SAD, many people lose motivation to do everyday tasks. By simply talking to teachers and brainstorming strategies, students can get extra help and pull themselves up.

When aware of the student’s difficulties, teachers often work with students to help them better their situations.

Some students may struggle with asking for help for various reasons including the idea that an independent individual must understand how to deal with different, difficult situations.

Physics teacher Samuel Krueger said, “One thing I found in life is that I have a hard time asking for help because for me it’s more of a pride factor.

“I know numerous students share these same anxieties. A lot of the time when I actually force myself to actually do these things, I just think ‘Why didn’t I do this earlier?’,” Krueger said.

Krueger encourages students to communicate with others about feelings and look past pride.

Krueger said, “The more you do it, just like anything, the better you get at it.  It’s something that will be with you your whole life, but it gets easier with time.”