Light therapy for preventing seasonal affective disorder
- PMID: 30883670
- PMCID: PMC6422319
- DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011269.pub3
Light therapy for preventing seasonal affective disorder
Abstract
Background: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a seasonal pattern of recurrent major depressive episodes that most commonly occurs during autumn or winter and remits in spring. The prevalence of SAD ranges from 1.5% to 9%, depending on latitude. The predictable seasonal aspect of SAD provides a promising opportunity for prevention. This review - one of four reviews on efficacy and safety of interventions to prevent SAD - focuses on light therapy as a preventive intervention. Light therapy is a non-pharmacological treatment that exposes people to artificial light. Mode of delivery and form of light vary.
Objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of light therapy (in comparison with no treatment, other types of light therapy, second-generation antidepressants, melatonin, agomelatine, psychological therapies, lifestyle interventions and negative ion generators) in preventing SAD and improving patient-centred outcomes among adults with a history of SAD.
Search methods: We searched Ovid MEDLINE (1950- ), Embase (1974- ), PsycINFO (1967- ) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) to 19 June 2018. An earlier search of these databases was conducted via the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Controlled Trial Register (CCMD-CTR) (all years to 11 August 2015). Furthermore, we searched the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database and international trial registers (to 19 June 2018). We also conducted a grey literature search and handsearched the reference lists of included studies and pertinent review articles.
Selection criteria: For efficacy, we included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on adults with a history of winter-type SAD who were free of symptoms at the beginning of the study. For adverse events, we also intended to include non-randomised studies. We intended to include studies that compared any type of light therapy (e.g. bright white light, administered by visors or light boxes, infrared light, dawn stimulation) versus no treatment/placebo, second-generation antidepressants, psychological therapies, melatonin, agomelatine, lifestyle changes, negative ion generators or another of the aforementioned light therapies. We also planned to include studies that looked at light therapy in combination with any comparator intervention.
Data collection and analysis: Two review authors screened abstracts and full-text publications, independently abstracted data and assessed risk of bias of included studies.
Main results: We identified 3745 citations after de-duplication of search results. We excluded 3619 records during title and abstract review. We assessed 126 full-text papers for inclusion in the review, but only one study providing data from 46 people met our eligibility criteria. The included RCT had methodological limitations. We rated it as having high risk of performance and detection bias because of lack of blinding, and as having high risk of attrition bias because study authors did not report reasons for dropouts and did not integrate data from dropouts into the analysis.The included RCT compared preventive use of bright white light (2500 lux via visors), infrared light (0.18 lux via visors) and no light treatment. Overall, white light and infrared light therapy reduced the incidence of SAD numerically compared with no light therapy. In all, 43% (6/14) of participants in the bright light group developed SAD, as well as 33% (5/15) in the infrared light group and 67% (6/9) in the non-treatment group. Bright light therapy reduced the risk of SAD incidence by 36%; however, the 95% confidence interval (CI) was very broad and included both possible effect sizes in favour of bright light therapy and those in favour of no light therapy (risk ratio (RR) 0.64, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.38; 23 participants, very low-quality evidence). Infrared light reduced the risk of SAD by 50% compared with no light therapy, but the CI was also too broad to allow precise estimations of effect size (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.17; 24 participants, very low-quality evidence). Comparison of both forms of preventive light therapy versus each other yielded similar rates of incidence of depressive episodes in both groups (RR 1.29, 95% CI 0.50 to 3.28; 29 participants, very low-quality evidence). Reasons for downgrading evidence quality included high risk of bias of the included study, imprecision and other limitations, such as self-rating of outcomes, lack of checking of compliance throughout the study duration and insufficient reporting of participant characteristics.Investigators provided no information on adverse events. We could find no studies that compared light therapy versus other interventions of interest such as second-generation antidepressants, psychological therapies, melatonin or agomelatine.
Authors' conclusions: Evidence on light therapy as preventive treatment for people with a history of SAD is limited. Methodological limitations and the small sample size of the only available study have precluded review author conclusions on effects of light therapy for SAD. Given that comparative evidence for light therapy versus other preventive options is limited, the decision for or against initiating preventive treatment of SAD and the treatment selected should be strongly based on patient preferences.
Conflict of interest statement
Barbara Nussbaumer‐Streit ‐ no conflict of interest
Catherine A Forneris ‐ no conflict of interest
Laura C Morgan ‐ no conflict of interest
Megan G Van Noord ‐ no conflict of interest
Bradley N Gaynes ‐ no conflict of interest
Amy Greenblatt ‐ no conflict of interest
Jörg Wipplinger ‐ no conflict of interest
Linda J Lux ‐ no conflict of interest
Dietmar Winkler ‐ has received lecture fees from Angelini Pharmaceuticals, Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals and Pro Mente Austria and has received authorship honoraria from Medizin Medien Austria.
Gerald Gartlehner ‐ no conflict of interest
Figures
![1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-AFig-FIG01.gif)
![2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-AFig-FIG02.gif)
![3](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-AFig-FIG03.gif)
![1.1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-001-01.gif)
![1.2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-001-02.gif)
![1.3](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-001-03.gif)
![1.4](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-001-04.gif)
![1.5](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-001-05.gif)
![1.6](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-001-06.gif)
![1.7](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-001-07.gif)
![2.1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-002-01.gif)
![2.2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-002-02.gif)
![2.3](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-002-03.gif)
![2.4](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-002-04.gif)
![2.5](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-002-05.gif)
![2.6](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-002-06.gif)
![2.7](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-002-07.gif)
![3.1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-003-01.gif)
![3.2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-003-02.gif)
![3.3](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-003-03.gif)
![3.4](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-003-04.gif)
![3.5](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-003-05.gif)
![3.6](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-003-06.gif)
![3.7](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-003-07.gif)
![4.1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-004-01.gif)
![4.2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-004-02.gif)
![4.3](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-004-03.gif)
![4.4](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-004-04.gif)
![4.5](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-004-05.gif)
![4.6](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-004-06.gif)
![4.7](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/6422319/bin/nCD011269-CMP-004-07.gif)
Update of
-
Light therapy for preventing seasonal affective disorder.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Nov 8;(11):CD011269. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011269.pub2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Mar 18;3:CD011269. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011269.pub3. PMID: 26558494 Updated. Review.
Comment in
-
Light therapy for preventing seasonal affective disorder: Summary of a Cochrane review.Explore (NY). 2020 Mar-Apr;16(2):133-134. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2019.12.004. Epub 2020 Jan 23. Explore (NY). 2020. PMID: 32111489 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
Light therapy for preventing seasonal affective disorder.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Nov 8;(11):CD011269. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011269.pub2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Mar 18;3:CD011269. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011269.pub3. PMID: 26558494 Updated. Review.
-
Psychological therapies for preventing seasonal affective disorder.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 May 24;5(5):CD011270. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011270.pub3. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019. PMID: 31124141 Free PMC article.
-
Melatonin and agomelatine for preventing seasonal affective disorder.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Jun 17;6(6):CD011271. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011271.pub3. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019. PMID: 31206585 Free PMC article.
-
Second-generation antidepressants for preventing seasonal affective disorder in adults.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Mar 18;3(3):CD011268. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011268.pub3. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019. PMID: 30883669 Free PMC article.
-
Second-generation antidepressants for preventing seasonal affective disorder in adults.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Nov 8;(11):CD011268. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011268.pub2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Mar 18;3:CD011268. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011268.pub3. PMID: 26558418 Updated. Review.
Cited by
-
Physiotherapy for patients with depression: Recent research progress.World J Psychiatry. 2024 May 19;14(5):635-643. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i5.635. eCollection 2024 May 19. World J Psychiatry. 2024. PMID: 38808078 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Selecting, implementing and evaluating control and placebo conditions in light therapy and light-based interventions.Ann Med. 2024 Dec;56(1):2298875. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2023.2298875. Epub 2024 Feb 8. Ann Med. 2024. PMID: 38329797 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Mood correlates with circadian alignment in healthy individuals.Sleep Health. 2024 Feb;10(1S):S154-S156. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2023.08.023. Epub 2023 Oct 31. Sleep Health. 2024. PMID: 37914632
-
35 years of light treatment for mental disorders in the Netherlands.Ann Med. 2023;55(2):2269574. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2023.2269574. Epub 2023 Oct 19. Ann Med. 2023. PMID: 37857364 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Vitamin D in Depression: A Potential Bioactive Agent to Reduce Suicide and Suicide Attempt Risk.Nutrients. 2023 Apr 4;15(7):1765. doi: 10.3390/nu15071765. Nutrients. 2023. PMID: 37049606 Free PMC article. Review.
References
References to studies included in this review
Meesters 1999 {published data only}
-
- Meesters Y, Beersma DG, Bouhuys AL, Hoofdakker RH. Prophylactic treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) by using light visors: bright white or infrared light?. Biological Psychiatry 1999;46:239‐46. - PubMed
References to studies excluded from this review
Fleer 2014 {published data only}
-
- Fleer J, Schroevers M, Panjer V, Geerts E, Meesters Y. Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for seasonal affective disorder: A pilot study. Journal of Affective Disorder 2014;168:205‐9. - PubMed
Graw 1997 {published data only}
-
- Graw P, Gisin B, Wirz‐Justice A. Follow‐up study of seasonal affective disorder in Switzerland. Psychopathology 1997;30:208‐14. - PubMed
Kasper 1988 {published data only}
-
- Kasper S, Rogers SL, Yancey AL, Schulz PM, Skwerer RG, Rosenthal NE. Phototherapy in subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder (S‐SAD) and "diagnosed" controls. Pharmacopsychiatry 1988;21:428‐9. - PubMed
Kjellman 1997 {published data only}
-
- Kjellman B, Lindwall‐Sundel K, Stain‐Malmgren R. The effect of prophylactic light therapy in SAD. Society Light Treatment Biological Rhythms 1997;9:24.
Lafer 1994 {published data only}
-
- Lafer B, Sachs GS, Labbate LA, Thibault A, Rosenbaum JF. Phototherapy for seasonal affective disorder: a blind comparison of three different schedules. American Journal of Psychiatry 1994;151:1081‐3. - PubMed
Meesters 1991 {published data only}
-
- Meesters Y, Lambers PA, Jansen JH, Bouhuys AL, Beersma DG, Hoofdakker RH. Can winter depression be prevented by light treatment?. Journal of Affective Disorders 1991;23:75‐9. - PubMed
Meesters 1993 {published data only}
-
- Meesters Y, Jansen JH, Beersma DG, Bouhuys AL, Hoofdakker RH. Early light treatment can prevent an emerging winter depression from developing into a full‐blown depression. Journal of Affective Disorders 1993;29:41‐7. - PubMed
Meesters 1994 {published data only}
-
- Meesters Y, Jansen JH, Beersma DG, Bouhuys AL, Hoofdakker RH. An attempt to prevent winter depression by light exposure at the end of September. Biological Psychiatry 1994;35:284‐6. - PubMed
Meesters 1995 {published data only}
-
- Meesters Y, Jansen JH, Beersma DG, Bouhuys AL, Hoofdakker RH. Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder. The effects of timing. British Journal of Psychiatry 1995;166:607‐12. - PubMed
Most 2010 {published data only}
NCT00076245 {published data only}
-
- NCT00076245. Cognitive behavioral approaches to seasonal depression. clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00076245 (first received 19 January 2004).
NCT01714050 {published data only}
-
- NCT01714050. Cognitive‐behavioral therapy vs. light therapy for preventing SAD recurrence. clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01714050 (first received 25 October 2012).
Norden 2000 {published data only}
-
- Norden MJ, Avery DH. Dawn simulation for subsyndromal winter depression. American Psychiatric Association. Abstracts. Paper No. 109A 2000.
Partonen 1995 {published data only}
-
- Partonen T, Lonnqvist J. The influence of comorbid disorders and of continuation light treatment on remission and recurrence in winter depression. Psychopathology 1995;28:256‐62. - PubMed
Partonen 1996 {published data only}
-
- Partonen T, Lonnqvist J. Prevention of winter seasonal affective disorder by bright‐light treatment. Psychological Medicine 1996;26:1075‐80. - PubMed
Rohan 2007 {published data only}
-
- Rohan KJ, Roecklein KA, Tierney Lindsey K, Johnson LG, Lippy RD, Lacy TJ, et al. A randomized controlled trial of cognitive‐behavioral therapy, light therapy, and their combination for seasonal affective disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2007;75:489‐500. - PubMed
Rohan 2009 {published data only}
-
- Rohan KJ, Roecklein KA, Lacy TJ, Vacek PM. Winter depression recurrence one year after cognitive‐behavioral therapy, light therapy, or combination treatment. Behavioral Therapy 2009;40:225‐38. - PubMed
Rohan 2013 {published data only}
Terman 1994 {published data only}
-
- Terman JS, Terman M, Amira L. One‐week light treatment of winter depression near its onset: the time course of relapse. Depression and Anxiety 1994;2:20‐31.
Thorell 1999 {published data only}
-
- Thorell LH, Kjellman B, Arned M, Lindwall‐Sundel K, Walinder J, Wetterberg L. Light treatment of seasonal affective disorder in combination with citalopram or placebo with 1‐year follow‐up. International Clinical Psychopharmacology 1999;14 Suppl 2:S7‐11. - PubMed
WELL 100006 {published data only}
-
- GlaxoSmithKline. A 7‐month, multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled comparison of 150‐300mg/day of extended‐release bupropion hydrochloride (WELLBUTRIN XL) and placebo for the prevention of seasonal affective disorder in subjects with a history of seasonal affective disorder followed by an 8‐week observational follow‐up phase. www.gsk‐studyregister.com/study/AK130936 2003.
-
- Modell JG, Rosenthal NE, Harriett AE, Krishen A, Asgharian A, Foster VJ, et al. Seasonal affective disorder and its prevention by anticipatory treatment with bupropion XL. Biological Psychiatry 2005;58:658‐67. - PubMed
WELL AK130936 {published data only}
-
- GlaxoSmithKline. A 7‐Month, Multicenter, Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Comparison of 150‐300mg/day of Extended‐Release Bupropion Hydrochloride (WELLBUTRIN XL) and Placebo for the Prevention of Seasonal Affective Disorder in Subjects with a History of Seasonal Affective Disorder Followed by an 8‐Week Observational Follow‐up Study. GSK ‐ Clinical Study Register [www.gsk‐clinicalstudyregister.com] 2004.
-
- Modell JG, Rosenthal NE, Harriett AE, Krishen A, Asgharian A, Foster VJ, et al. Seasonal affective disorder and its prevention by anticipatory treatment with bupropion XL. Biological Psychiatry 2005;58:658‐67. - PubMed
WELL AKA130930 {published data only}
-
- GlaxoSmithKline. A 7‐Month, Multicenter, Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Comparison of 150‐300mg/day of Extended‐Release Bupropion Hydrochloride (WELLBUTRIN XL) and Placebo for the Prevention of Seasonal Affective Disorder in Subjects with a History of Seasonal Affective Disorder Followed by an 8‐Week Observational Follow‐up Phase. GSK ‐ Clinical Study Register [www.gsk‐clinicalstudyregister.com] 2003.
-
- Modell JG, Rosenthal NE, Harriett AE, Krishen A, Asgharian A, Foster VJ, et al. Seasonal affective disorder and its prevention by anticipatory treatment with bupropion XL. Biological Psychiatry 2005;58:658‐67. - PubMed
Wirz‐Justice 1990 {published data only}
-
- Wirz‐Justice A, Graw P, Krauchi K, Gisin B, Arendt J, Aldhous M, et al. Morning or night‐time melatonin is ineffective in seasonal affective disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research 1990;24:129‐37. - PubMed
Additional references
APA 1980
-
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 3rd Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1980.
APA 1987
-
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 3rd Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1987.
APA 2000
-
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000.
APA 2013
-
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
Begg 1994
-
- Begg CB, Mazumdar M. Operating characteristics of a rank correlation test for publication bias. Biometrics 1994;50:1088‐101. - PubMed
Berg 1997
-
- Berg TJ, Spekreijse H. Near infrared light absorption in the human eye media. Vision Research 1997;37:249‐53. - PubMed
Byrne 2008
-
- Byrne B, Brainard GC. Seasonal affective disorder and light therapy. Sleep Medicine Clinics 2008;3(2):307‐15.
Ciarleglio 2011
-
- Ciarleglio CM, Resuehr HES, McMahon DG. Interactions of the serotonin and circadian systems: nature and nurture in rhythms and blues. Neuroscience 2011;197:8‐16. - PubMed
Egger 1997
Forneris 2014
Gartlehner 2015
Golden 2005
-
- Golden RN, Gaynes BN, Ekstrom RD, Hamer RM, Jacobsen FM, Suppes T, et al. The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and meta‐analysis of the evidence. American Journal of Psychiatry 2005;162(4):656‐62. - PubMed
GRADEpro GDT 2015 [Computer program]
-
- McMaster University (developed by Evidence Prime). GRADEpro GDT. Hamilton (ON): McMaster University (developed by Evidence Prime), 2015.
Guyatt 2011
-
- Guyatt G, Oxman AD, Akl EA, Kunz R, Vist G, Brozek J, et al. GRADE guidelines: 1. Introduction—GRADE evidence profiles and summary of findings tables. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2011;64(4):383‐94. - PubMed
Hamilton 1960
Hansen 2009
Higgins 2011
-
- Higgins JP, Green S, editor(s). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from handbook.cochrane.org.
Joffe 1993
-
- Joffe RT, Moul DE, Lam RW, Levitt AJ, Teicher MH, Lebeque B, et al. Light visor treatment for seasonal affective disorder: a multicenter study. Psychiatry Research 1993;46(1):29‐39. - PubMed
Kaminski‐Hartenthaler 2015
Lam 1999
-
- Lam RW, Levitt AJ, editor(s). Canadian Consensus Guidelines for the Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Clinical & Academic Publishing, 1999.
Lam 2006
-
- Lam RW, Levitt AJ, Levitan RD, Enns MW, Morehouse R, Michalak EE, et al. The Can‐SAD study: a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of light therapy and fluoxetine in patients with winter seasonal affective disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 2006;163(5):805‐12. - PubMed
Leon 1999
-
- Leon AC, Solomon DA, Mueller TI, Turvey CL, Endicott J, Keller MB. The Range of Impaired Functioning Tool (LIFE‐RIFT): a brief measure of functional impairment. Psychological Medicine 1999;29(4):869‐78. - PubMed
Levitan 2005
Levitan 2007
Lewy 1987
-
- Lewy AJ, Sack RL, Miller LS, Hoban TM. Antidepressant and circadian phase‐shifting effects of light. Science 1987;235:352‐4. - PubMed
Lewy 2006
Magnusson 2005
-
- Magnusson A, Partonen T. The diagnosis, symptomatology, and epidemiology of seasonal affective disorder. CNS Spectrums 2005;10(8):625‐34. - PubMed
Moher 2009
Pail 2011
-
- Pail G, Huf W, Pjrek E, Winkler D, Willeit M, Praschak‐Rieder N, et al. Bright‐light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders. Neuropsychobiology 2011;64:152‐62. - PubMed
Partonen 1998
-
- Partonen T, Lonnqvist J. Seasonal affective disorder. Lancet 1998;352:1369‐74. - PubMed
Quera‐Salva 2011
-
- Quera‐Salva MA, Hartley S, Barbot F, Alvarez JC, Lofaso F, Guilleminault C. Circadian rhythms, melatonin and depression. Current Pharmaceutical Design 2011;17:1459‐70. - PubMed
Review Manager 2014 [Computer program]
-
- Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration. Review Manager 5 (RevMan 5). Version 5.3. Copenhagen: Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration, 2014.
Rodin 1997
-
- Rodin I, Thompson C. Seasonal affective disorder. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 1997;3:352‐9.
Rosen 1990
-
- Rosen LN, Targum SD, Terman M, Bryant MJ, Hoffman H, Kasper SF. Prevalence of seasonal affective disorder at four latitudes. Psychiatry Research 1990;31:131‐44. - PubMed
Rosenthal 1979
-
- Rosenthal R. The "file‐drawer problem" and tolerance for null results. Psychological Bulletin 1979;86:638‐41.
Rosenthal 1984
-
- Rosenthal NE, Sack DA, Gillin JC, Lewy AJ, Goodwin FK, Davenport Y, et al. Seasonal affective disorder. A description of the syndrome and preliminary findings with light therapy. Archives of General Psychiatry 1984;41(1):72‐80. - PubMed
Rosenthal 1993
-
- Rosenthal NE, Moul DE, Hellekson CJ, Oren DA, Frank A, Brainard GC, et al. A multicenter study of the light visor for seasonal affective disorder: no difference in efficacy found between two different intensities. Neuropsychopharmacology 1993;8(2):151‐60. - PubMed
Schwartz 1996
-
- Schwartz PJ, Brown C, Wehr TA, Rosenthal NE. Winter seasonal affective disorder: a follow‐up study of the first 59 patients of the National Institute of Mental Health Seasonal Studies Program. American Journal of Psychiatry 1996;153(8):1028‐36. - PubMed
Sohn 2005
-
- Sohn CH, Lam RW. Update on the biology of seasonal affective disorder. CNS Spectrums 2005;10(8):635‐46. - PubMed
Teicher 1995
-
- Teicher MH, Gold CA, Oren DA, Schwartz PJ, Luetke C, Brown C, et al. The phototherapy light visor: more to it than meets the eye. American Journal of Psychiatry 1995;152(8):1197‐202. - PubMed
Terman 2005
-
- Terman M, Terman JS. Light therapy for seasonal and nonseasonal depression: efficacy, protocol, safety, and side effects. CNS Spectrums 2005;10:647‐63. - PubMed
Thaler 2011
Ware 1992
-
- Ware JE Jr, Sherbourne CD. The MOS 36‐item short‐form health survey (SF‐36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Medical Care 1992;30(6):473‐83. - PubMed
Wells 2009
-
- Wells GA, Shea B, Peterson J, Welch V, Losos M, Tugwell P. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) for assessing the quality of nonrandomised studies in meta‐analyses. www.ohri.ca/programs/clinical_epidemiology/oxford.asp 2009.
Westrin 2007
-
- Westrin A, Lam RW. Long‐term and preventative treatment for seasonal affective disorder. CNS Drugs 2007;21(11):901‐9. - PubMed
Williams 2002
-
- Williams JBW, Link MJ, Rosenthal NE, Terman M. Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ‐ Seasonal Affective Disorder version (SIGH‐SAD). New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute, 2012.
References to other published versions of this review
Nussbaumer 2014
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous