BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of joy and cheer, but for many people, fall and winter months can bring a different reality.

Dr. Mary Kathryn Gastinel at the Wellness Clinic said seasonal affective disorder affects people differently, and it’s normal if the holidays don’t meet expectations.

“We have this hype, you know, that it should look and feel a certain way. And it’s okay if it doesn’t,” Gastinel said.

Multiple factors contribute to seasonal depression

Gastinel said various life changes can negatively impact people during the holiday season.

“For a lot of people, they can be going through a lot of changes in their life that could be having a negative impact, like whether it’s grief and loss or change in job, financial stress, change in th

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