Overall , both forms of preventive light therapy reduced the incidence of SAD numerically compared with no light therapy .
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 review s 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 ( e.g. visors , light boxes ) and form of light ( e.g. bright white 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 .
Light treatment of seasonal affective disorder in combination with citalopram or placebo with 1-year follow-up.
This placebo-controlled , double-blind , 1-year pilot study aim ed at investigating possible clinical advantages of combining initial light therapy with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ( SSRI ) citalopram as well as the effects of continuous long-term administration of this drug in patients with seasonal affective disorder ( SAD ) . Eight physically healthy women who met the DSM-III-R criteria for SAD were included in the study . Four women were r and omized to the citalopram group receiving 40 mg citalopram daily from the first of 10 light treatment days and throughout the 1-year study . The remaining four women were allocated to the placebo group using the same double-blind repeated measures design . The clinical outcome was measured by using three versions of the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale ( CPRS ) and Visual Analog Scales ( VAS ) , respectively . Taking the initial rating scores into account in covariance analyses , no statistically significant group difference was found during the light treatment period . However , during the follow-up period the full version of the CPRS and the self-rating version of CPRS and the VAS-scales for global condition and depressed mood were statistically significantly lower in the citalopram group compared with the placebo group . Thus , in this small but carefully observed sample of SAD- patients combining initial light therapy and long-term citalopram treatment was clinical ly more effective over time than the placebo combination . Our findings support the notion that light therapy with concomitant and continued SSRI ( citalopram ) treatment is a useful strategy to achieve beneficial long-term effects in patients with the SAD syndrome
Overall , both forms of preventive light therapy reduced the incidence of SAD numerically compared with no light therapy .
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 review s 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 ( e.g. visors , light boxes ) and form of light ( e.g. bright white 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 .