But a recent study conducted in Finland found that most children also suffer some sort of winter blues. Many adult sufferers may begin getting the winter doldrums as children. Doctors believe that seasonal affective disorder occurs in people who are especially sensitive to changes in the amount of light they're exposed to. People with this condition tend to be tired and depressed, have difficulty sleeping and withdraw from social activities during the winter months when days are shorter. The Finnish researchers reported recently that 60 percent to 90 percent of children and teenagers may suffer from seasonal affective disorder.
Children report being sadder in winter and happier in the summer.
They also have less energy in the winter. The researchers say more study is needed in this area to determine if the winter blues in children continue into adulthood or if they go away with time. One reason so many children report winter blues may be that they're in school in winter and out of school in summer. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say the winter blues are fairly normal. Exposure to bright light early in the morning can help.