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[00:01.22] Many people with SAD respond to light therapy, said Dr. Paul Desan of Yale University’s Winter Depression Research Clinic.

[00:13.44] The therapy devices give off light about 20 times brighter than regular indoor light.

[00:21.67] “The first thing to try is light,” Desan said.

[00:26.19] “When we get patients on exposure to bright light for a half an hour or so every morning, the majority of patients get dramatically better.

[00:36.28] We don’t even need medications.”

[00:40.27] There is research that supports the idea that using a light that has a brightness of about 10,000 lux can be helpful.

[00:51.16] Lux is a measurement of brightness.

[00:55.67] The research suggests that a person use it for 30 minutes every morning.

[01:01.78] Desan said this can help not only people with SAD but also those with less-severe, low moods in winter.

[01:12.14] Experts suggest other forms of treatment.

[01:17.45] Doctors often suggest antidepressant medications as a first-line treatment for SAD.

[01:27.81] They also suggest going to bed and waking up at about the same time each day.

[01:34.45] Also, exercise such as walking outside, even on cloudy days, can help.

[01:43.22] Kelly Rohan is a researcher at the University of Vermont.

[01:49.06] Rohan said another treatment is talk therapy.

[01:54.38] Also called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, Rohan said it has been shown in studies to have more long-lasting effects.

[02:17.75] CBT involves working with a therapist to identify and change unhelpful thoughts.

[02:19.08] “A very common thought that people have is ‘I hate winter,’” Rohan said.

[02:24.93] She suggests that people instead say, “I prefer summer to winter.”

[02:32.89] Working with a therapist can help people take small steps toward having fun again, Rohan said.

[02:42.99] Try planning undemanding but enjoyable activities to break out of a bad mood.

[02:49.64] Rohan said simply meeting a friend for coffee can help.

[02:55.21] People with SAD have half the year to create helpful methods.

[03:01.59] Some have found things that work for them -- although they might not be the subject of scientific research.

[03:10.37] For example, in Folsom, California, Elizabeth Wescott says she believes a kind of water therapy helps her.

[03:21.27] The 69-year-old uses water therapy used in sports medicine.

[03:26.58] When she showers, she changes between hot and cold water.

[03:32.96] She also uses a light box and takes an antidepressant.

[03:38.80] “I’m always looking for new tools,” Wescott said.

[03:44.11] In New York, Miriam Cherry grows the earliest blooming flowers.

[03:50.22] They bloom as early as February.

[03:53.94] “That’s going to be a sign to me that this isn’t going to last forever,” Cherry said.

[04:00.31] “It will get better, and spring is on the way.”