The first big surprise about SAD is that you don't have to be sad to have it--any more than you have to be sad to have depression.
The second big surprise is that SAD actually IS depression. A University of Rochester research review says that Seasonal Affective Disorder is actually a subtype of major depression and should be treated as such.
SAD is sometimes missed in the typical doctor's office setting. If you tell your GP you have more than usual fatigue, trouble sleeping, problems with eating (too much or too little) and low libido and he says "Tut-tut, you'll feel better when the warm weather comes around," flee to a psychiatrist's office. Why? Because SAD is both real and treatable.
For some patients, SAD is triggered by darker days causing a shift in 24-hour hormonal rhythms. The loss of natural light because it's gray outside can be replaced with treatment by indoor light-therapy units designed for SAD. These are special devices with very high lux--usually 10,000 units or more, and they work by regulating your natural supply of melatonin.
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