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When he moved from South Africa to New York City, Norman Rosenthal noticed he felt more depressed during the cold, short days of the city's winters than he had in his home country.
當諾曼·羅森塔爾從南非搬到紐約市時，他發現在這座城市寒冷而短暫的冬季里，他比在祖國時感到更加沮喪。
"It was an illness hiding in plain sight because people said 'well that's how everyone feels in winter.' They didn't see it as treatable," says Rosenthal, a psychiatrist at Georgetown Medical School.
“這是一種隱藏在眾目睽睽之下的疾病，因為人們說‘好吧，這就是每個人在冬天的感受。’”他們認為這種情況無法治療，”喬治城醫學院的精神病學家羅森塔爾說。
In 1984, he published the first paper to scientifically name the winter blues: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also called seasonal depression, was a type of depression brought on by the dark days of winter.
1984年，他發表了第一篇科學命名冬季抑郁癥的論文：季節性情感障礙（SAD），也稱為季節性抑郁癥，是一種由冬季黑暗日子帶來的抑郁癥。
Subsequent studies have found that this form of depression varies by geography.
隨后的研究發現，這種形式的抑郁癥因地理位置而異。
As much as three percent of the general population is thought to experience SAD,
多達3%的總人口被認為患有SAD，
but one study Rosenthal published in 1990 found that the condition became more prevalent in the U.S. in northern latitudes, with as many as 10 percent of New Hampshire residents reporting the condition.
但羅森塔爾于1990年發表的一項研究發現，這種情況在美國北緯地區更為普遍，多達10%的新罕布什爾州居民報告患有這種情況。
And, surprisingly, about 10 percent of patients suffering from SAD have symptoms in the summertime instead.
令人驚訝的是，大約10%的SAD患者在夏季出現癥狀。
Whether in winter or summer, mental health experts say there are solutions to treat SAD.
心理健康專家表示，無論冬天或夏天，都有治療季節性情緒失調的方法。
It's normal for moods to fluctuate with seasons and even for people to feel a little more down in the winter, experts say, but those suffering from SAD experience the symptoms of clinical depression.
專家表示，情緒隨季節波動是正常的，甚至在冬天人們會感到更加情緒低落，但患有季節性情感障礙的人會出現臨床抑郁癥的癥狀。
"They're exactly the same," says Kelly Rohan, a psychologist at the University of Vermont who specializes in the disorder.
“它們完全一樣，”佛蒙特大學專門研究這種疾病的心理學家凱利·羅漢說。
"We would look for things like a persistently sad mood. Losing interest in things. Sleep changes. Significant eating or appetite change. Losing energy. Fatigue. Difficulty concentrating," she says.
“我們會尋找諸如持續悲傷的情緒之類的東西。對事物失去興趣。睡眠發生變化。飲食或食欲有顯著變化。失去能量。疲勞。很難集中註意力，”她說。
At Yale's Winter Depression Research Clinic, the most commonly reported symptoms of winter depression are hypersomnia -- the desire to sleep more than usual -- and an increased appetite, says Paul Desan, a psychiatrist and the clinic's director.
耶魯大學冬季抑郁癥研究診所的精神科醫師兼診所主任保羅·迪森表示，最常見的冬季抑郁癥狀是睡眠過多（比平常想睡得更多）和食欲增加。
"It's like human beings are trying to hibernate," says Desan.
“這就像人類試圖冬眠一樣，”迪森說。
Most people begin experiencing symptoms in young adulthood, but SAD can begin at any stage of life. The condition also varies by sex.
大多數人在成年早期就開始出現癥狀，但季節性情感障礙可以在人生的任何階段出現。這種情況也因性別而異。
"About three times as many women as men get SAD for reasons we don't understand," says Desan.
“由于我們不明白的原因而感到悲傷的女性人數大約是男性的三倍，”迪森說。
While SAD is typically diagnosed when patients meet the criteria for clinical depression, some patients fall just short of this official diagnosis.
雖然SAD通常是在患者符合臨床抑郁癥標準時才被診斷出來的，但有些患者卻達不到官方的診斷標準。
They're instead diagnosed with "subsyndromal SAD," a milder but still burdensome condition.
相反，他們被診斷出患有“亞綜合征型季節性情感障礙”，這是一種較溫和但仍然嚴重的疾病。
