Is it depressing to talk about depression? Sometimes I think it is more depressing not to talk about it. When I started asking my clients, I had no idea how many would tell me that they are currently receiving drug treatment for depression. If you know about depression, maybe you can do something about it.

There are a lot of types of depression with lots of causes, but one that many people have been mentioning is “SAD,” or Seasonal Affective Disorder. When the seasons change, some people are at risk. It’s not very common for doctors to diagnose it, but it affects 4 to 6 percent of the population. I looked it up and here’s what I found out about the symptoms. Depression with a Fall or Winter onset:

• lack of energy

• decreased interest in work or significant activities

• increased appetite with weight gain

• carbohydrate cravings

• increased sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness

• social withdrawal

• afternoon slumps

• decreased energy and concentration

• slow, sluggish, lethargic movement

It’s those carbohydrate cravings and resulting weight gain that most people notice. With so many people already overweight, the last thing they need is something like SAD adding to the problem.

Fortunately, geography is on our side in Delaware. This disease is closely related to where you live. The studies say that, along the Canadian border, SAD affects almost 10 percent of the U.S. residents. As you move farther south, the rate drops. In the New York City area, the rate is 5-6 percent, and it drops to only 1 percent or less in the deep south. The change is due to the weather and daytime sunlight (or lack of it).

I’ve heard all of Dave’s stories about growing up near Buffalo—you know, like jumping off the porch roof into snow banks, how the temperature didn’t go above freezing for three months at a time, etc. Having grown up in Baltimore, I had just as much pleasure dealing with snow, sleet and high winds from those nasty nor’easters that come up the coast. We’re probably due for another one this year. It’s easy to see how being confined in the house in dark, dreary weather can depress someone.

Now here’s the shocker: exercise can be a big help in both preventing depression and reducing its symptoms if you already have it. In addition to keeping you fit and giving you something productive to do, exercise gets you out of the house and mixing among other people. This can be a big benefit for your self esteem.

I recommend that you do everything in your power to get any form of exercise you can during the cold winter months. Take time to get to the gym. If you can’t do that, at least take a little walk, use the stairs, or do some stretching while you are watching TV. The experts say you should devise a “holiday survival plan” that addresses the factors that have made it difficult for you to exercise in the past. Typical holiday excuses are feeling lonely, traveling, being too busy, and for parents, not having child care available. Why not address at least one of these concerns?

This is the perfect time to join a fitness center. You can have fun inside, meet other people, and do something active to avoid being depressed about the weather.

I say you should eliminate the nonessential activities. Don’t feel that you have to visit every relative and shop at every store. Make a list of what’s most important to you and get those items done first.

Look at the alternatives if you decide not to exercise. Everyone eats big at this time of year, and the temptation to join in may be irresistible. If you stay inside and vegetate, all those carbohydrates will get to you, probably concentrating at the waistline. Holidays just heap the food on, and you know if those foods are in the house, you’ve got to eat them. Not only is there more food available, but it’s the most fattening kind (I’ve never run across non-fat eggnog with aspartame, and I’m not sure I want to).

Who among us eats more as a result of the stress alone? You spend days running around making sure everything is right. You stop at party after party, probably eating and drinking too much. Then you realize you need to buy more gifts and send out more cards. All the while you’re forgetting about your credit card balance, until that terse little call from the bank, of course.

Maybe it’s not the weather and the short days that are affecting you. Maybe the holidays are to blame. During the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, depression and suicide both increase. Be glad you don’t live in Seattle—it’s known as the suicide capital of the nation. The reason is that the weather is so dreary and wet. In any case, exercise has a good chance of helping.

If you really do have SAD, most doctors will have you sit in front of a bright fluorescent light box. They say the intensity of the light appears to be the key. Unfortunately, symptoms usually reappear when the light therapy is stopped. In fact, they might continue until spring. When you’re in a darkened room, make sure you turn on the lights! Unless doing something with your significant other.