Light therapy and vitamin D are common treatments for winter-pattern SAD. Psychotherapy and antidepressants are used for diverse types of depression, including winter and summer-pattern SAD. No treatments are specific to summer-pattern SAD. Talk to a healthcare provider about the potential benefits and risks of the various treatments.

Light therapy has been the standard of care for winter-pattern SAD since the 1980s. The treatment consists of exposure to a very bright light box for 30 to 45 minutes daily, usually first thing in the morning. Treatment is administered from fall to spring.

Psychotherapy (i.e., counseling) can help people with SAD by teaching them new ways of thinking and behaving. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is about challenging and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to relieve depression and anxiety. CBT has been adapted for SAD (known as CBT-SAD).

CBT-SAD is usually conducted in two weekly group sessions for six weeks. It focuses on replacing negative thoughts related to the season, such as thoughts about the darkness of winter, with more positive thoughts. CBT-SAD also incorporates behavioral activation, a process that helps people identify and schedule pleasant activities to offset the loss of interest typically experienced in the winter or summer.