Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study will assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating seasonal affective disorder (SAD), commonly called the winter blues.

Detailed Description
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SAD is a condition in which people experience depression as a result of seasonal variations in sunlight. Although light therapy is a common treatment for SAD, a large proportion of people with SAD are resistant to this treatment. CBT is effective for nonseasonal depressive disorders, but its use for SAD has not been thoroughly explored. This study will determine whether CBT, alone and combined with light therapy, is as effective as light therapy alone in reducing SAD symptoms. Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to light therapy, CBT, a combination of light therapy and CBT, or a control group (no therapy) for 6 weeks. CBT will be conducted twice a week; light therapy will be conducted twice a day. Assessments will be made before, during, and after the study treatment. Depression scales, questionnaires, and behavioral tasks will be used to assess the depressive symptoms of participants. A 6-month and 1-year follow-up visit will also be conducted. During the follow-up visits, participants will be interviewed and will complete a questionnaire and a survey.

Official Title
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Cognitive Behavioral Approaches to Seasonal Depression

Conditions
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Seasonal Affective Disorder, Depression

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Light Therapy
* Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) Willing and able to participate in the study procedures Exclusion Criteria: Major psychological diagnoses other than SAD Current psychological or psychiatric treatment

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: 1 Light therapy<br> | Behavioral: Light Therapy<br>* Light therapy will involve exposure to bright light twice a day.<br>|
| Experimental: 2 Cognitive behavioral therapy<br> | Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)<br>* CBT attempts to change maladaptive thoughts and beliefs, and will be conducted twice a week.<br>|
| Experimental: 3 Light therapy plus cognitive behavioral therapy<br> | Behavioral: Light Therapy<br>* Light therapy will involve exposure to bright light twice a day.<br>Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)<br>* CBT attempts to change maladaptive thoughts and beliefs, and will be conducted twice a week.<br>|
| No Intervention: 4 Control<br> | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Scores on the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-Seasonal Affective Disorder Version | The Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-Seasonal Affective Disorder Version (SIGH-SAD) measures depressive symptoms on a continuous scale. Higher scores indicate worse outcome. Range of scores is 0 to 73. Generally, a score of 20 or higher is the cutoff for clinical depression. | Post-treatment | 
| Remission Status on Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-Seasonal Affective Disorder Version (SIGH-SAD) | Dichotomous Remission Status (remitted or not) at post-treatment | Post-treatment | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Phototherapy