SPRINGFIELD -- For most of last week, the only sun we saw was on Springfield's street signs. It looked and even felt like winter at times. Temperatures were 20 degrees below the norm and we were grumbling about the weather. And who could blame us? Something had robbed the Ozarks of our Autumn. And never mind the minutes of daylight lost since October 1. 

But, consider those Ozarkers whose world is already a little gray around the edges. The weather might just have been the tipping point into what's known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. Or SAD.  Dr. Baker at the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology says regions such as Alaska and the Northern Midwest are some places where S.A.D. is most noticeable.

"Seasonal Affective Disorder really speaks to the fact that sunlight impacts somebody's mood. So when people get less sunlight, then some people are much more susceptible to experience depression as a result of that," said Dr. Baker. 

A recent study published this summer links low amounts of sunlight with a loss of creativity and cognition in people who were depressed, saying sunlight is imperative to enhance our everyday quality of life.  Dr. Baker added, "You don't have to be crying and weeping and unable to function to be depressed. You can be functioning, but not functioning well. In men, in particular, depression often looks like irritability."

If those tips don't work and the cloud hanging over you has lasted for more than a couple weeks, it's time to seek professional help.  In the meantime, make good use of the shortening daylight hours, knowing that your mood and that of everyone else's is highly dependant on that bright shining star called the Sun.