For those who tend to crave sweets during the winter, eating a balanced diet may help one's mood. Conversely, as the mood improves, craving for sweets may abate. Psychotherapy can help the depressed individual look at her depressive assumptions and negative expectations. It can also help one identify relationship difficulties so that interpersonal mistakes might not be repeated. Research has shown that cognitive psychotherapy does help relieve depression faster and more completely than no therapy.
Some individuals continue to have a certain amount of energy fluctuation with the seasons.
If one is aware of this, one can plan for it and work the expected fluctuations into one's life plans. Side Effects Potential side effects of light therapy are rare and most often include jitteriness, a feeling of eyestrain and headache. Light therapy, like antidepressant medications, occasionally will cause someone to switch into a manic state. There has been debate on whether there might be long term retinal effects, but none have been documented when lights with proper screening of UV wavelengths are used. Individuals taking certain medications such as Lithium, tricyclic antidepressants, and neuroleptics and individuals with conditions such as diabetes or retinal degeneration should be monitored by an ophthalmologist.