Office of Primary Care and Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program

Dhruv Shah, D.O., is a board-certified psychiatrist and assistant professor at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine.

(NOVEMBER 27, 2024) Dhruv Shah, D.O., a board-certified psychiatrist and assistant professor at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, discusses seasonal affective disorder in a WVNY-TV story.

According to research done by the National Institutes of Mental Health, almost 1 in 10 New Englanders suffer from symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a mood disorder condition that happens to vary with the seasonal changes.

Shah says the symptoms are similar to those of major depressive or other mood disorders. “Many people go with this disease undiagnosed or unrecognized.” He advises us to think of SAD as an opportunity to focus on things that could be good for your wellness year-round. “Focusing on exercise, having good sleep, maybe waking up with good sunlight exposure,” he suggests.

He also highlights light therapy, vitamin D supplementation, and medications as possible avenues to explore with seasonal affective disorder—but stresses that these things should be done with a trained, competent provider. “Your primary care clinician would be a great person to connect with to figure out how much this is affecting you.”