However, those are fairly expensive. Generally, however, treatment involves light therapy and if that is not successful antidepressants to increase the amount of serotonin is the next step. Therefore, bulbs alone usually do not provide enough bright light. That is why a light box that one can sit under us a better way to go. Treatment is based on the interaction of light with the eyes, not the skin.
Light therapy regulates brain chemistry by controlling the levels of serotonin and melatonin.
So - even though serotonin levels may be low, its abnormality seems to be a decreased responsiveness to light that can be corrected with more light. The light effect is probably transmitted via the nerve tract that connects the retina to the hypothalamus' suprachias-matic nuclei, the body's biological clock. In comparison, a normal living room is about 100 lux. So - simply changing ones bulbs or the lamps in a room won't do the trick. But if you have major depression - chances are the depressive symptoms will worsen during the winter.