'Now it feels like spring'

Ellen G. Lahr of the Berkshire Eagle

Dr. Eric M. Plakun, a psychiatrist and admissions director at Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, said seasonal depression is not always SAD — a winter mood drop can be linked to, say, a history of traumatic holiday events in childhood — so pinpointing a pattern is essential.

Other people may have symptoms of depression year-round, but those symptoms may worsen in winter months. For those people, light therapy may be of limited help if there is underlying chronic depression, Plakun said.

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