The first hard frost hits, the sun slips below the horizon by 4:30 p.m., and suddenly the couch feels like the only safe place in the world. You tell yourself it’s just the “winter blues.” You’ll snap out of it when the holidays pass.

But weeks drag on, and the heaviness lingers—sleeping 10 hours yet waking exhausted, skipping the gym, snapping at your kids or spouse, staring at your phone without really seeing it. Many Alaskans dismiss their symptoms as “normal winter fatigue” until the pain becomes unbearable and they are struggling to maintain regular household tasks or start to withdraw from activities they once loved.

If this sounds familiar, you don’t have to walk through this season alone.

Meet Our Experts

Brandi Salvatore, LCSW, is a Case Manager at our Steven A Cohen Military Family Clinic. She offers group therapy sessions and learning opportunities at the Cohen Clinic and often helps clients find community resources to address Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Rani Malone is the Behavioral Health Care Manager embedded inside our primary-care clinic. Through her practice, Rani helps clients with skill-building around symptom management, as well as connection to the community to improve overall wellbeing. She is personally focusing on good sleep to maintain her wellbeing this winter!

Here are Brandi and Rani’s key insights, research, and practical tools you can use today. Whether you’re a veteran wrestling deployment fog, a young mom in Fairbanks, or anyone north of the 40th parallel, here’s what you need to know to take back your winters.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) vs. Winter Blues

Winter blues

The winter blues are real, but they’re mild and self-limiting. You might feel a little sluggish, crave carbs, and count the days until spring. Daily life rolls on with minimal friction.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder is Major Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern, according to the DSM-5, the diagnostic manual for mental health. Symptoms must:

• Be seasonal in nature. Winter onset SAD is most common, with symptoms beginning in the fall and easing in the spring/summer.
• Recur for at least two consecutive years
• Significantly impair work or daily tasks, relationships, or self-care

Women are diagnosed four times more often than men, though researchers suspect under-reporting in males due to stigma.

“People come in saying, ‘I’m just tired all the time.’ When we dig deeper—sleeping 12 hours, calling in sick, no longer engaging in the usual activities, isolating—we realize it’s crossed the line into SAD,” Brandi explains. “If these symptoms are ongoing for more than two weeks, it’s time to reach out.”

The Science: Why Daylight Dictates Mood

Three biological dominoes fall when the sun retreats.

1. Serotonin plummets. This neurotransmitter that stabilizes mood. Less UVB light → fewer serotonin molecules in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (the brain’s master clock).
2. Vitamin D tanks. Skin synthesis drops 80–90% in winter above 37° latitude (think Seattle northward). Low D is linked to depressive symptoms independent of sunlight (click here to learn more).
3. Melatonin overproduces. Shorter days trick the pineal gland into releasing melatonin earlier and longer → daytime drowsiness, disrupted sleep architecture.

The result? A perfect neurological storm for depression. (Read more about Seasonal Affectice Disorder from the Mayo Clinic. )

Who is at Highest Risk?

Risk Factor	Why It Matters
Women	Hormonal interplay with serotonin pathways
Young adults (18–30)	First episodes often emerge during this age range
Northern latitudes	Alaska: 1 in 12; Florida: 1 in 100 [need to site source for this]
Family history	55% heritability for mood disorders
Prior depression/bipolar	Seasonal pattern can layer on top

Other factors may contribute to risk, such as shift jobs limit access to experiencing natural dawn or daylight. Military deployment cycles often scramble circadian rhythms, with night shifts and red-light-only tents. Brandi, the Cohen Clinic case manager, sees some of the ripple effects in her clients:

• Safety: Slower reaction times in -20°F live-fire drills.
• Retention: Untreated SAD can correlate with early separation.
• Families: Spouses report “my spouse came home but isn’t really here.”

Recognizing SAD: Symptoms Checklist

Here are some of the more common symptoms of SAD. Check any that have lasted most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks:

• Persistent sadness or emptiness
• Loss of interest in your usual hobbies (anhedonia)
• Fatigue, despite extra sleep
• Appetite/weight changes (usually increase + carbs but can vary between individuals)
• Unexplained aches, headaches, GI issues (especially in children)
• Trouble concentrating or brain fog
• Social withdrawal
• Hopelessness
• Suicidal thoughts or planning

Red-Flag Behaviors (Brandi’s “Call 988” list):

• Talking about death or being a burden
• Sudden alcohol or cannabis spikes
• Giving away prized possessions
• Reckless driving or spending (carelessness)
• Saying goodbyes to loved ones and friends

If you check 5+ boxes or spot red flags, text or call 988 immediately. Crisis counselors are available 24/7.

Getting Diagnosed: Where to Start

1. Primary Care – Talk to your primary care provider about any symptoms you are experiencing. (AKBH also offers primary care. Ask your clinician about primary care today!)
2. Mental Health Intake – A qualified mental health clinician will do a full assessment.

Your health care provider may use a screening tool to assess symptoms, for example: the PHQ-9 + two SAD-specific items/follow up questions.

Regardless of what health care provider you choose to see it, it may be helpful before your first appointment to keep a log of your behaviors and symptoms, noting specifically:

• Hours of direct sunlight exposure
• Sleep/wake times
• Mood patterns scoring 1–10

Together with your provider, you will develop a treatment plan, which may include medication, light therapy, and talk therapy.

Your Daily SAD Coping Toolkit

Rani’s favorite tip to overcoming SAD is to check in with neighbors and friends. She says it helps you as much as the person you are checking on. “Asking people how they’re doing and trying to just connect and plan things – social connection is going to be a huge thing that’s going to help you get through the season.”

Here are some additional strategies Rani works on with clients.

1. Grounding 5-4-3-2-1: Name 5 things you see, 4 you touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. Pulls amygdala offline in 90 seconds.
2. Micro-wins: Make bed → 1 point. Shower → 2 points. Text a friend → 3 points. Gamify the slump.
3. Future-trip dopamine: Having a plan in the future to look forward to is a great way to add some hope and excitement into our lives and reminds us that this, too, is temporary.
4. Self-care isn’t always bubble baths—it could look like texting your battle buddy, “Rough day, call me?”

Prevention Starts in September

While it is never too late in the season to get help for SAD, planning ahead can help head off some of the worst symptoms.

• Order a Happy Light that provides full spectrum light an dbegin using as daylight decreases
• Stock up on vitamin D3
• Schedule “winter buddy” check-ins with someone you trust.
• Meal-prep high-protein breakfasts: blood-sugar crashes can worsen your mood.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is common, predictable, and—most importantly—treatable. The same brain that dims in November can ignite again with the right light, movement, and support.

Take one step today

1. Schedule an intake with Alaska Behavioral Health
2. Borrow a happy light (or ask your clinician where you can get one)
3. Join a CBT group → Our Cohen Clinic offers a Veteran cohort (Call 907-762-8668 to get started)
4. Share this post with someone who “just isn’t themselves” this winter.

Remember, it’s never too late to reach out for help – you are not alone!

For more info

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Sun Star recently interviewed one of our Senior Licensed Clinicians to learn more about our programs in the interior, as well as some of the common warning signs that you or someone you love might be experiencing seasonal affective disorder.

Alaska Public Media interviewed Rani Malone for their story on the small, daily changes we can make in our routine to combat seasonal affective disorder.