Depression may be caused by a number of psychological reasons, and one of the
major causes of depression, the kind that just seems to appear suddenly, is
external stimulation or a change in the immediate environment surrounding
someone who is suffering from a bout of depression. These stimulants can be the
weather, the lack of activity or deeper psychological reasons, however, for a
wide variety of depression types, light therapy has been known to alter and
improve the mood of the majority of patients both in the short term and in the
long run
SAD and light therapy
SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is most commonly called winder blues of season
blues and is type of depression which coincides with the onset of the winter
season. Light therapy procedures such as blue light and dawn simulation have
known to be very effective in treating SAD and it is fast becoming a preferred
option for many physicians and patients all over the world due to its
non-reliance on more expensive drugs or psychological therapy. People suffer
from this kind of mood disorder with varying intensity all over the world,
including people who are otherwise mentally healthy and sound during other
seasons. Although many experts believe that SAD can also be a sign of deeper
depression, the feature which sets this apart from other types of depression is
that this mood pattern seems to repeat winter after winter, and is one of the
causes of the heightened emotional responses, sadness and even events of suicide
which frequently escalate in the winter (in severe and complicated cases) in
many countries. Grey dark and rainy weather conditions do affect nearly every
human being's mood in some way, and this treatment may be beneficial to
everyone.
Non seasonal Major depression and light therapy
Even
though light therapy was first aimed at helping depression sufferers with SAD,
it had proven effective as a result of further research, in treating other
depression types. In a recent study conducted in collaboration by the Columbia
University Medical Center and Wesleyan University has shown that trial patients
with chronic depression problems also responded just as well as SAD sufferers
from light therapy sessions, including such patients who have been consuming
anti-depressants and / or seeking psychiatric help for years without relief, and
in as little as a week (as compared to several months for most medication or
therapy).
How light therapy is conducted
The schedule of the
treatment is usually up to the patient and the physician to decide, however, it
is worth noting that blue light therapy (as opposed to white light) has a
definite advantage when closing what type of light to use. Wearing good eye
protection is essential for light therapy of any kind, however, there is no UV
risk from BLUE light as it does not contain any element of the UV wavelength of
light (and for this reason, is also beneficial for the skin). Sessions may vary
in timings from 15 minutes up to an hour and may be conducted every day or two
or three times a week. The best time for a session is early morning and there
are portable light devices available for this purpose at a low cost (compared to
clinical sessions) using which sufferers of depression can easily conduct their
own sessions at
home.
References
Wikipedia[dot]com
www[dot]psycheducation[dot]org/depression/LightTherapy.htm
about[dot]com
About Author:
Allen Anderson is a content writer at TrophySkin.com. Trophy Skin provides
BlueMD, one of the best light therapy products for acne treatment. It provides a
powerful, safe, effective and affordable blue light
therapy which is approved by FDA and the American Academy of Dermatology.
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