For some people, the winter blues hit a lower note.
With spring right around the corner, people steadily clamber from their comforters to the outdoors. But for some, there's more to the bad mood.
It's estimated that some 2.7 percent of North Americans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, most commonly known as SAD, said Justin Weeks, an assistant psychology professor at Ohio University and director of the Center of Evaluation and Treatment of Anxiety.
Other estimates identify between 15 to 25 percent of the American population as being vulnerable to bouts of depression in the colder months, he said.
Counselor in Residence Petya Demireva said that the number of those afflicted at Ohio University is hard to determine, but more students inquire about SAD this time of year.
"(The CIRs) get more requests for outreach programs in the winter months," Demireva said.
Despite the common notion that SAD is its own affliction, it does not have its own diagnostic category, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Rather, it's a subtype of major depression and bipolar disorder characterized by the reoccurring onset of depression during a particular season, Weeks said.
"The understanding (of SAD) is not that well to begin with," he said, adding that most experts point to melatonin as the cause.
Melatonin is a hormone released in low light to calm the body and prepare it for rest. It is believed that the hormone lingers at higher levels during late fall and winter in those suffering from SAD, Weeks said. This in turn makes people feel tired and depressed.
The heightened levels of melatonin can also interrupt a person's circadian rhythm, Weeks said. This refers to the physical, mental and emotional changes people undergo in a 24-hour period, according to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences website.
When this cycle is disrupted, it can cause spells of depression until the body adjusts to the change, Weeks said.
Common treatments for SAD include phototherapy - also know as light therapy - where patients are exposed to bright light for up to two hours after they wake up.
Weeks said that combining phototherapy with more traditional behavioral therapy is typically the most effective remedy.
"You want to change the way people think in response to depressive thoughts," Weeks said. "They seem less likely to relapse the following year."
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