WATCH: 7 things to know about treating Seasonal Affective Disorder

While fall brings crisp, cool air and changing leaves, it also means a dip in the length of sunlight we see each day.

As the daylight shortens, around 5 percent of U.S. adults begin to experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, a recurrent form of depression that emerges in the winter.

The feelings of fatigue, sadness, loss of appetite and other symptoms of SAD are all tied to the body’s ability to sense and cope with the annual reduction of sunlight, said Dr. Paul Desan, the director of the Winter Depression Research Clinic at the Yale School of Medicine. Desan spoke to the PBS NewsHour about what people can do to help alleviate symptoms of SAD amid these winter months.

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