Hey, so you might have noticed yesterday, or you will, today, that it's darker out earlier.

We have returned to standard time in most of the United States.

Most of Arizona, yes, I understand that you're different and special.

But here, in St. Paul, deciduous trees are heavily shedding their leaves.

Shorts are being put away for the year,

parkas are being retrieved from deep in the closet.

Fall is definitely here, and winter is breathing down our necks.

And it's darker, and getting even darker than that.

The daylight hours are getting shorter and shorter and shorter.

And that might make you sad. Or it might even make you sad. That last sad was in all caps,

by the way. It's an acronym. Seasonal Effective Disorder, also known, to use a more precise but less catchy term, as major

depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern. Let's talk about it. It's depression mode. I'm John

Moe. I'm glad you're here. Let's look at this condition so we can understand what we're up against, what it is, how it works, what you can do about it, why it isn't just a winter thing, and generally how to navigate through the whole deal.

We can't stop winter.

We can't prevent darkness.

We can try to help you get through it.

Later in the show, conversations with some of our listeners about your experiences with

seasonal depression.

But first, Dr. Ken Duckworth is the chief medical officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI.

These conversations were all originally aired last December.

Dr. Ken Duckworth, welcome back to Depression Mode.

Ah, nice to see you again, John.

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