The days are getting shorter and darker as winter approaches, which can be a blow to mental health for many Americans.

About 5% of U.S. adults suffer from seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD or winter depression, with symptoms usually developing during the fall and winter months, according to the American Psychiatric Association .

Patients feel depressed, may eat more or sleep too much, have less energy and lose interest in things that normally give them pleasure.

“SAD is clinical depression. That surprises a lot of people — I think they confuse it with the winter blues,” Kelly Rohan, a psychology professor at the University of Vermont who has been studying the condition for more than 20 years, previously told TODAY.

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