The chances get lower, though, the longer treatment is delayed. Many of us have a hard time getting up in the morning, but for some, it gets abnormally difficult during the winter. Seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD, is characterized by fatigue and general irritability during the winter months, when sufferers are exposed to less sunlight. This distinguishes them from people with other depressive disorders. In addition, SAD sufferers generally crave foods heavy in carbohydrates.
Some people buy light boxes, which simulate sunlight and can have a rejuvenating effect.
Siegel says that he has even prescribed vacations in Florida for some of his patients. None of them have ever complained about that. But it's nothing to get nervous or anxious about. While some worry excessively about Y2K, says psychologist Everett Siegel, M.D., a professor with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, others tend to become more reflective than anxious as New Year's approaches. Just because you're feeling down around the holidays, don't blame the millennium.