Light
therapy might not be the best treatment.
From: UNIVERSITY
OF VERMONT via EurekAlert
A new study to be published online November 5 in the American Journal of Psychiatry casts a shadow on light therapy's status as the gold standard for treating SAD, or seasonal affective disorder.
While the treatment was effective at addressing acute episodes of
SAD, a SAD-tailored version of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was
significantly better at preventing relapse in future winters, the study found.
Led by University of Vermont psychology professor Kelly Rohan, the research
initiative, funded by a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental
Health, is the first large scale study to examine light therapy's effectiveness
over time.
Over 14 million Americans suffer from SAD, ranging from 1.5 percent of the population in southern states like Florida to over 9 percent in the northern regions of the country. An estimated 10 to 20 percent of all cases of recurrent depression follow a seasonal pattern.
In the study, 177 research subjects were treated with six weeks of
either light therapy - timed, daily exposure to bright artificial light of
specific wavelengths using a light box - or a special form of CBT that taught
them to challenge negative thoughts about dark winter months and resist
behaviors, like social isolation, that effect mood.
Two winters after the initial treatment, 46 percent of subjects in
the light therapy group reported a recurrence of depression compared with 27
percent of those in the CBT group. Depressive symptoms were also more severe
for those in the light therapy group.
Read more at EurekAlert.