Eating Disorders

...ba href=/eating disorder/a/bs and other behavioral problems.A more recent light therapy approach is "dawn simulation," which attempts to simulate an earlier dawn through exposure to artificial light.

This follows the theory that SAD is triggered by the reduced period of bright daylight during winter.The method attempts to recreate the increased intensity of sunlight that occurs in nature in the summer when the sun rises earlier in the day.

"The logic here is that it might put people with seasonal affective disorder into remission," Golden said.Still, the exact mechanisms by which light therapy works remain unclear, the researchers said.The studies selected by the authors for inclusion in their meta-analysis were grouped into four categories: bright light for SAD, bright light for non-seasonal depression, dawn simulation for SAD and bright light as an adjunct therapy combined with conventional antidepressants for non-seasonal affective disorder.These study groups were limited to adults ages 18 to 65 years who met a criterion-based mood disorder diagnosis.The meta-analysis demonstrated statistically significant treatment effects for SAD, dawn simulation for SAD and bright light treatment of non-seasonal depression, the report said."The effect size of the light therapy intervention in our meta-analysis was comparable to what has been described in the clinical literature for conventional medications to treat depression," Golden said.

"The findings are as strong or as striking."More research i...

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