SEEING THE LIGHT WITH DEPRESSION

Seasonal depression, or as it’s more aptly called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is on its way with the winter solstice, and to combat it, some people are adopting what’s called light therapy.

With light therapy, people suffering from depression can look at artificial light. It could also help people who are bipolar as well. Some people become depressed when their skin is making less serotonin, and light therapy, along with taking more Vitamin D, has reportedly helped some patients.

As Fortune reports, this therapy was first studied at Northwestern University, and reportedly 68% of the 46 patients who received light therapy saw dramatic results. The patients surveyed first started with fifteen minutes a day in front of the light, then an hour. 

As NPR reports, some patients suffering from depression do light therapy in the morning, although some patients find it more effective in midday hours from noon to 2:30 PM. While one doctor told NPR that the current studies are “intriguing but highly preliminary,” light therapy could indeed one day become one of the tools to fight depression, or as one psychiatrist puts it, the current research “offers a glimmer into a new pathway for treatment.”