How To Tell If Your Bad Mood Is More Than Just The Winter Blues

Feeling down? It may be more than just some winter woes.

Seasonal affective disorder, a depression-related condition that occurs during certain times of the year, affects 10 million American adults. As many as one in 10 people experience the disorder in states where the climates are colder and cloudier.

Everyone feels the blues sometimes, but those who with seasonal depression experience symptoms that go far beyond general moodiness. As the Yellowbrick infographic below shows, the symptoms and, separately, some of the stereotypes associated with the disorder can be debilitating.

Mental illness has a way of making even the most optimistic person feel hopeless. But managing the condition is possible.

"It's important for people to recognize these signs within themselves and get evaluated," Michelle Riba, a professor of psychiatry and the associate director of the University of Michigan Depression Center, previously told HuffPost. "This isn't a trivial problem, it's part of a major mood disorder that really needs to be addressed. But it is treatable."

You deserve to be mentally healthy. Never forget it.

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