About Treatment For Seasonal Affective Disorder: Treatment For Seasonal Affective Disorder

Read about treatment for seasonal affective disorder and why it affects many people. Depression not only affects the person who is going through it, but also everyone around them, including friends, family, loved ones, spouses, and children.

Treatment and medical research

SAD is indeed a sad situation' as it is a mood disorder caused during the winter period (and also in the summer – but less often)' where symptoms of anxiety and depression could be observed in a person who is otherwise deemed normal.People dreading about this illness seek medical advice from doctors and consultants and are curious in getting to know what and could be done to prevent/cure the illness. There are numerous treatments that could be taken.

A few effective treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder are outlined below:

Light Therapy

Increased daylight improves the symptoms of SAD' which is why experts believe that light therapy proves a good remedy for curing SAD. This is also known as phototherapy. Here' a special light panel or box that simulates sunlight is used on the affected person' where he/ she should sit in front of it or under it for about 30-60 minutes daily. What experts recommend is the use of a bright light box at doses of 2'500-10'000 lux. As these light rays should be absorbed by the retinas to work effectively' the affected should take occasional peeks at the light' but not stare at it. By the continuous use of light therapy' the symptoms of SAD will improve' but the treatment should be followed continuously until natural and consistent daylight is available. This method has fewer side effects than any other treatment. However' this therapy has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Psychotherapy

This is also known as Talk therapy' and in this method of treatment an expert would talk with the victim and try to make him/her feel better by way of revising the pessimistic and depressing thoughts in their minds. This method is more or less similar to (psychology) counseling where the expert therapists would try to build a relationship with the affected and also try to reduce the sense of social withdrawal' isolation and lonesomeness.

Medications

Antidepressants and other psychiatric medications are also a very effective remedy for severe SAD. Bupropion' SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor)' fluoxetine (Sarafem' Prozac)' venlafaxine (Effexor)' sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) are some very effective antidepressants used on SAD patients.

Most doctors and specialists would prescribe that the above medications be used before getting SAD as it would help to ease up and even prevent onset of SAD. However' if they are used on a patient who is already down with SAD' then he/she would have to use those antidepressants for a quite a long period of time (i.e. several weeks) in order to gain full benefits. At the same time' doctors and researchers are carrying out various studies to find out better ways to cure or alleviate the causes of SAD. This treatment can have side effects.

Summary – There are three popular treatments for SAD and they are light therapy' psychotherapy and medication. The first two are relatively simple modes of treatment that anyone can be comfortable with' while the third option involves taking prescription drugs and can result in side effects.