CLINICAL
Healthcare Professional Resource Guides
SLTBR Q&A ON SAD AND LIGHT THERAPY (6 pages) – Click Here
SAD CLINICIAN RESOURCE GUIDE (45 pages) – Click Here
BRIGHTEN YOUR LIFE GUIDE (36 pages) – Click Here![G:...BrightenYourLife.w [PFP#321238774]](http://sadlightdealer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Brighten-Your-Life-36-pages-1.jpg "G:...BrightenYourLife.w [PFP#321238774]")
Indications for Light Therapy
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a disorder in which sufferers show seasonal changes of mood and/or behavior. The most common mood change is depression or “affective disorder”. Seasonal Affective Disorder is characterized by recurrent major depressive episodes, most commonly occurring during the autumn and/or winter months. Episodes may last up to 6 months in duration, typically beginning in the autumn and remitting in the springtime.
Although patients with seasonal affective disorder may have depressive episodes during other times of the year, the diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder requires that the number of seasonal episodes substantially outnumber the number of non-seasonal episodes during the individual’s lifetime.
Physical Symptoms
- Unexplained weight gain or loss
- Change in appetite
- Change in sleep; either insomnia, oversleeping or spending more than 8 hours in bed
- Feeling of stress, agitation, heart racing or pounding
- Headaches or muscle aches
- Lack of energy
Emotional/Mental Symptoms
- Sudden outbursts, unexplained sadness or crying
- Mood swings
- Irritability, anger
- Social withdrawal; change in social behavior or interaction with others
- Loss of concentration, short-term memory loss
- Lack of interest in formerly pleasurable activities
- Complaints that others “don’t like me,” or people are unfriendly
- Feelings that one is misjudged or unfairly punished.
- Difficulty finishing a task
- Feelings of low self worth; “I’m not good enough,” “Whatever I do isn’t good enough,” “I can’t do it,” “No one notices me,” “People would be better off without me
- Thoughts of suicide
A diagnosis of SAD can be made after three consecutive winters of the following symptoms if they are also followed by complete remission of symptoms in the spring and summer months. These are many and varied, .and sufferers may experience all or any of the symptoms. SAD is often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. The effects of SAD on a person’s life can be catastrophic including severely disrupted education, careers and relationships. SAD sufferers may become hypomanic in spring or after periods of very sunny weather.
The Difference between SAD and Clinical Depression. People suffering from clinical depression tend to have difficulties eating and sleeping. Their symptoms show no seasonal pattern. They tend to prefer the dark. “Happy events” seldom cheer them up. The typical symptoms of SAD are the opposite of the above. Sufferers have a seasonal pattern and eat and sleep a lot. Sufferers are often “light hungry” and instinctively light their homes well or gravitate towards light sources. There is a comparatively low suicide and work absentee rate amongst SAD sufferers. “Happy events” and a period of sunny weather will lift their spirits. However, these are generalizations – there are plenty of SAD sufferers whose symptoms look like clinical depression rather than SAD and sufferers do commit suicide. SAD appears to be a disorder of that body clock. Hence, it is a bodily illness.
Contraindications
The following are generally accepted as contraindications for light therapy:
Eyes. Anyone with pre-existing eye problems should undergo a thorough examination prior to and during light therapy. Eye conditions such as diabetes mellitus or retinopathy, macular degeneration, or retinitis pigmentosa are contra-indicated for light therapy.
Herbal / OTC Products. Some herbal remedies such as St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), may have photosensitizing effects. Melatonin is often used in conjunction with light therapy, but it is also photosensitizing and should only be taken at night when light is not used.
Medications. Certain photo-sensitizing medications should not be used with light. Lithium should be cautioned as a mood stabilizer as it may be photo-sensitizing.
Bi-Polar Individuals. Bipolar individuals who experience mania should be stabilized under a physician’s care before receiving light therapy.
Side Effects of Light Therapy
No long-term negative side effects have been documented from using light therapy. The most common reaction to too much light is awakening earlier than desired. If this happens, it is because the person’s body clock has been insufficiently trained, and the addition of more light is causing it to advance earlier. This side effect can be overcome by having the person stop using the light for a day and then cutting their treatment time in half.
Safety Guidelines
Safety Standards for Light Therapy. The Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms has established safety standards for light therapy. Light boxes that adhere to these standards are very safe to use and long-term studies have shown no negative side effects.
- Researchers report that short-term side effects are benign and better tolerated than side effects experienced with anti-depressant medications.
- These side effects are usually mitigated within the first week of therapy, or by increasing the distance or duration of exposure.
- Patients rarely stop using light due to side effects. The most common side effects are nausea, headaches, jitteriness, and eye irritation.
- A few cases of hypomania and mania have been reported in bipolar patients, but these occurrences were effectively controlled with mood stabilizers.
Ocular Safety. When safety guidelines are followed in the manufacture of light therapy devices, the risk of ocular damage is minimal. Safe light boxes will incorporate parabolic reflectors and UV filtered lenses to produce a safe, diffuse field of light. The level of irradiance light boxes produce is approximately 1/10th that of the noonday sun, without the harmful UV and dark blue radiation.
Photosensitizing Medications. In general, the photosensitizing risk with medications is usually with ultraviolet light. However, because of the potential risk that such medicines pose, light therapy should not be used with any photosensitizing medications,
Self Use. Some seasonal affective disorder sufferers use light therapy on their own without the aid of a physician. SAD sufferers should always consult with their physicians because depressive symptoms could be hiding other more serious physical ailments.
Unsafe Light Boxes (Buyer Beware). The Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (SLTBR), has received several documented complaints from researchers and manufacturers concerning false claims, ineffectiveness and safety of several light box companies, particularly from companies who market mainly via the Internet. In 2000, a survey of light therapy companies showed that most non-research affiliated companies grossly exaggerated their product’s performance, while some openly advocated the use of UV light to treat seasonal affective disorder. Unfortunately no policing organization regulates the production and sale of unsafe light therapy equipment. In order to avoid this problem, the potential light therapy user should consider companies, which support and participate in published light therapy studies.