Psychotherapy may brighten SAD beyond light

[Woody]

CBC News has an interesting article regarding how psychotherapy might be a better treatment for SAD. Read more here

[AJ]

Interesting reading. Thanks for the link Woody.

[paul m]

Thx Woody. Take Care. paul m

[uni]

Don't you think that psychotherapy is a great idea no matter what else you're using (meds, light, exercise, ECT, whatever)? In an ideal world, it would be affordable, accessible, and done by competent professionals.

If only. Sigh.

Interesting article, thanks Woody.

[paul m]

Hello Uni. I agree. I'm a firm believer in a wide range of treatments, of which meds are only one componet. As you point out affordable can be a big issue.(at least for me it is) Now if I would just get off my butt and exercise more .Take Care. paul m

[Woody]

Psychotherapy should be one of the cornerstone of treating mood disorders. Maybe on day... Until then, sites like this, local support group, and for people of faith, there priest will have to do.

[paul m]

Hello Woody. You brought up a good point. I am not a religious person in any way, but I do know many people with a mood disorder who recieved great solace through their religion and through the fellowship that a church can provide.

It is often an overlooked resource in today's world. Not that priest and ministers are great at understanding mental illness, it just that sometimes a mental illness is so lonely. A church can sometimes help with that by providing a sense of belonging. ( they can also be total... well that's another topic ) Take Care. paul m

[leila63]

I read something interesting on this subject (Light versus psychotherapy) in a magazine called BP Hope at my pdoc's office. The study did find that psychotherapy may be more effective than SAD lamps one year later (in terms of whether SAD returned) but there was a caveat that it could not be certain that the SAD lamp users made use of their lamps the following year. As someone that has been a backslider about using my light from year to year, I think there might be something like that in play.

I don't know if this is the same study that your talking about Woody. I guess, if I could afford it, using both would be a surefire cure. The good news is that it is supposed to be 17 degrees here tomorrow so I'll be outside catching as many rays as I can.

[paul m]

Hello Everybody. Sometimes we get our hopes up when we read these studies. Often the studies are more a way for the researcher to get their name in the news than anything concrete(ok I'm a cynic).

If we take a close look at the study presented by CBC news done by Kelly Rohan there were only 69 people involved and they were divided into 4 groups, making each group very small. It also basicaly ran for only 6 wks, which is very short.

All other stats aside, what I did find interesting was in the second yr only 4 people were still using their light box (out of approx 34). That is a very low amount. Take Care. paul m (Keeping printing them, they are all interesting)

[Woody]

Sorry Paul, I must have mist those stats ...

Leila I got caught in a hail downpour this morning during my morning walk and tomorrow I will be baking in the sun so go figure!

[paul m]

Hello Woody. Sorry to you( I mean that in a good way), I did not mean to point out anything except the inconsistanceny of research.

Besides that study did help me make up my mind on buying a light. If only 4 people used the light after 1 year, I probably would not be one of those people who continued to use it.

Your bringing up the article also got Leila63 to bring up another article on the inconsistant use of SAD lights by sufferers.

So while the #'s were small and the scientific value perhaps marginal, the real world effect was , well, very real. Thx for printing it, you too Liela63. Take Care. paul m