How to help someone with seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Every autumn, the same pattern shows up in workplaces across the UK. Energy drops, mornings get harder, concentration slips and people who were fine in July start struggling to get through a Tuesday.

For most people that is a mild seasonal dip. For some it is seasonal affective disorder, a recognised form of depression that returns at the same time each year. Knowing the difference and knowing what an employer can reasonably do about it, makes a real difference to the people affected.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

The NHS defines seasonal affective disorder as "a type of depression that usually happens in the winter".

The key word is depression. SAD is not simply feeling a bit flat when the clocks change. Mind puts it plainly, noting that SAD "can affect your life just as much as other types of depression". A GP will typically diagnose it where symptoms have occurred at a particular time of year for two years or longer.

What are the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Broadly, SAD has the same outward signs as depression:

• Low mood
• A lack of interest in things you usually enjoy
• Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
• Feeling restless or irritable
• Difficulty concentrating
• Being hungrier and eating more than usual
• Being more tired and sleeping more than usual
• Thoughts of suicide or self-harm

If you spot the warning signs of suicidal ideation, treat it as urgent. The NHS urgent mental health page explains where to go, and Samaritans can be reached free on 116 123 at any hour.

What causes SAD?

Nobody is entirely certain what causes Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), but it is thought to be linked to reduced daylight during the autumn and winter months. According to the NHS, lower levels of daylight may alter the production of brain chemicals and hormones such as serotonin, which plays a role in mood, and melatonin, which helps regulate sleep. Changes in these systems may also affect the body's internal clock, or circadian rhythm, which helps control when we feel awake, alert and tired.

How SAD shows up at work

Because it arrives gradually and at the same time as everything else that makes winter harder, SAD is easy to mistake for a performance problem.

What you may notice:

• Someone consistently struggling with early starts, having previously been reliable
• A drop in concentration, more errors, or work taking noticeably longer
• Withdrawal from team conversation and social contact
• Irritability that is out of character
• A rise in short absences from around October onwards
• Visible tiredness that does not improve across the week
• The pattern is the giveaway. If someone's performance dips every autumn and recovers every spring, that is worth a conversation rather than a performance review

How to support an employee with SAD

1. Notice the pattern and open the conversation

You do not need to diagnose anything, and nor should you. Mention what you have actually observed and ask an open question. "I've noticed the last few weeks have felt harder going, how are you doing?" is enough to start.

Acas guidance on talking about mental health recommends holding the conversation in private, being calm and patient, asking open questions and being clear about what you will and will not keep confidential. It also suggests avoiding language that implies someone is unwell, such as "suffering from", and instead referring to concerns related to their mental health.

2. Make reasonable adjustments

Most of what helps is small, cheap and practical:

• A later start through the darkest months, made up at the other end of the day
• A desk with more natural light, or moving away from a dim corner
• Control over local lighting. The Health and Safety Executive notes that giving people in open-plan offices control of their own lighting can increase job satisfaction and reduce stress
• Encouraging a daylight break. A short walk at lunchtime is often the only daylight someone gets in December
• Scheduling demanding work for the part of the day when the person functions best
• More frequent, shorter check-ins rather than one long monthly review
• Written follow-ups to meetings, which help when concentration is affected

Agree the adjustments, write them down, and set a date to review them.

3. Be flexible about appointments and absence

Someone getting treatment may need time for GP appointments or talking therapy sessions. Making that straightforward (such as providing your people with access to our Virtual GP service), rather than something they have to negotiate each time, removes a barrier.

4. Signpost to proper treatment

Rather than trying to solve the problem in-house, focus on signposting. That might mean directing people to NHS Talking Therapies, your EAP, counselling provision or other wellbeing services. The earlier someone accesses support, the less likely they are to struggle in silence through the winter months.

Some people find light therapy helpful, but employers should be cautious about presenting it as a treatment. NICE guidance states that evidence for its effectiveness remains uncertain. Your role is not to prescribe solutions, but to make sure employees can access support when they need it.

5. Plan for next winter

SAD is one of the few mental health conditions where you know roughly when it is coming. If someone struggled last October, have the conversation in September. Agreeing adjustments before the difficult period starts is considerably more effective than reacting in January.

How an Employee Assistance Programme can help

Winter is when demand for mental health support peaks, and NHS waiting times mean people do not always get help at the point they need it. An Assistance Programme from Wisdom Wellbeing gives your people confidential access to qualified counsellors 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without a referral from you and without a waiting list. For someone struggling through a dark January, being able to talk to someone that evening matters. Our HR and management information line also supports you on the employer side, including how to handle adjustments and absence where a seasonal condition may engage the Equality Act 2010.

Conclusion

Seasonal affective disorder is a recognised form of depression, not a figure of speech about the weather. It affects concentration, energy and mood in ways that are easy to mistake for a performance issue, and it returns on a predictable schedule.

That predictability is your advantage. Notice the pattern, have the conversation early, make a few small and inexpensive adjustments, and make sure people know how to get proper treatment. Very little of this costs anything, and for the person affected it can be the difference between getting through the winter and going off sick in it.