In most cases, seasonal affective disorder symptoms appear during late fall or early winter and go away during the sunnier days of spring and summer. Less commonly, people with the opposite pattern have symptoms that begin in spring or summer. In either case, symptoms may start out mild and become more severe as the season progresses.

Signs and symptoms of SAD may include:

1. Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
2. Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
3. Having low energy
4. Having problems with sleeping
5. Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
6. Feeling sluggish or agitated
7. Having difficulty concentrating
8. Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty
9. Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide