How can family and friends help?
It's not always easy to live with someone who has SAD. It's like being with two different people, one who is lively, cheerful and energetic, during the summer, and the other who is sleepy, morose and irritable, during the winter. In summer, he or she can be hard to keep up with; in winter, you won't get much response from him or her.
Try to accept that your friend or family member feels awful. They aren't being lazy, or not making an effort. They sleep because they have to; they can't help it. Being hostile about it or teasing them is likely to make things worse. Having SAD is no joke; it's been described as feeling half dead, half your life. Sometimes, it can drive people to suicide.
Offer practical assistance, if you can. It's important to get treatment and other matters organised during the summer, because once winter comes, someone with SAD soon finds apathy taking hold. As soon as you notice signs of lethargy, encourage the person to start their treatment programme and to stick with it. If they are using light treatment, build it into daily life. If the person needs an hour's light before going to work or school, make sure other chores or responsibilities don't interfere. Help them to pace themselves, and be sensitive about making too many demands on them (such as inviting a houseful of guests to stay). In the long run, it's in nobody's interest if they become more stressed.
It can be very upsetting when someone is constantly irritable and seems unwilling to give or accept love. Relationships can be strained to breaking point if one partner feels it's all too one-sided. Hard though it might be to imagine or understand, being depressed can be emotionally paralyzing. Someone in the grip of it may be unable to feel happy, caring and loving in the usual way. Whatever it may seem, they are not deliberately rejecting you. They may be desperate for love and care, and yet not able to accept it, when it's offered. Be patient, but insist they get treatment. You can then both look forward to better times.