Question: How Is SAD Treated?
Answer: The strongest clinical data are for bright light therapy, a method that has been investigated for 15 years in hundreds of patients.
In fall 1998, a group of 13 Canadian specialists issued a set of professional consensus guidelines for the treatment of SAD. Among their conclusions:
- The starting "dose" for light therapy using a fluorescent light box is 10,000 lux for 30 minutes per day.
- Alternatively, light boxes emitting 2,500 lux require 2 hours of exposure per day.
- Light therapy should be started in the early morning, upon awakening, to maximize treatment response.
- Response to light therapy often occurs within 1 week, but some patients may require up to 4 weeks to show a response.
- Common side effects of light therapy include headache, eyestrain, nausea and agitation, but these effects are generally mild and transient, or disappear with reducing the dose of light.
Other treatments under investigation include dawn simulation, high-density negative air ionization, and conventional antidepressants.
