Depression Health Center

Sunshine For SAD Sufferers

Warding Off Winter Blues

Although the causes of seasonal affective disorder are not clearly understood, the cure is fairly straightforward: more light during the winter months. In severe cases, people with seasonal affective disorder may also benefit from antidepressant medications, says Mark Levy, MD, chairman of the San Francisco Foundation for Psychoanalysis.

For those with mild cases, 30 minutes of exercise in the morning sun may be all that is needed to keep the winter blues at bay, says Levy. People with more severe symptoms should consult a physician, preferably one who's experienced in treating seasonal affective disorder.

"If somebody has been clinically depressed for a couple of weeks, he or she won't have the ability to go outside and exercise," says Levy. "And if they think they should be able to and they can't, they'll only feel worse."

Light boxes -- devices that provide bright artificial light -- are frequently prescribed for people with seasonal affective disorder. Patients spend anywhere from half an hour (preferably first thing in the morning) to two or three hours daily soaking in the artificial rays. According to researchers in Canada -- where every university hospital has a seasonal affective disorder clinic -- light therapy is effective in 60% to 90% of cases, and patients experience measurable improvement within a week.