Fact or Myth: Do “Happy Lamps” Cure Seasonal Depression?

Insights offer help for women going through menopause as well as people living in northern states

With autumn weather in the northern states arriving comes the time of year when Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) rears its ugly head. Some experts are saying daily light treatment or Bright Light Therapy (BLT) can be effective for major depression, others suggest Vitamin D testing particularly for women going through menopause.

A New York Psychiatrist, Efraim J. Keisari, M.D., says he sees SAD patients “up north” where SAD is more common where it typically begins in autumn, lingers through the winter and improves in the spring.

“It’s a type of recurrent depression that has a seasonal onset and remission. The season can bring it on but when the season passes it tends to improve,” says Keisari.

Treatment with Bright Light Therapy can be a good option, says Keisari, as a lot of people are hesitant to take anti-depressants due to the side effects.

“I advise my patients to focus on sleep, diet and exercise. Some prefer light therapy for SAD and I think that’s reasonable and some patients see improvement with just that.”

Even using the light therapy lamp at certain times of the day matters.

“There is some evidence that shows it’s more beneficial if BLT is administered in the early morning rather than later in the morning, early afternoon or evening,” says Keisari. “Seeing light through the window is not the same as seeing natural sunlight. It can affect your circadian rhythm and even the quality of sleep you get at night.”

Some people living in desert climates are experiencing less SAD due to higher levels of vitamin D, says Brenda Minge, Life Coach and Trauma Therapist based in Arizona.

“We have a lot of sunshine here - the vitamin D levels are just higher here, it’s above 80 degrees from October to about March,” says Minge. “From my experience, people respond better to treatment and therapy if they have a higher vitamin D level. They are more receptive.”

Minge says socio-economic reasons have nothing to do with it. With a nursing background Minge has treated patients all over the globe. She says all the stressors of life including getting into a car in the winter with intense cold really can affect people and add an extra layer of stress to their lives.

Minge says if she treats anyone in the northwest especially Seattle or Portland she recommends getting a light therapy lamp.

“I recommend getting it at the end of the summer and have it handy. Flip it on when you’re watching TV or just have it on in the room. Surround yourself with as many uplifting things as possible. Whatever it takes to lift people up, make them laugh and get them out of the hole, “ says Minge.

Light therapy is even covered by some health plans when deemed medically necessary, like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Coverage can be limited and when allowed there are typically recommendations to use a specific light box, not just any old lamp from Amazon.

Although SAD affects millions of people in the U.S. each year, there are few studies on it. There is data to support that SAD incidence may be directly due to day length, resulting in less sun, according to a 2001 research study. The study says shorter days in winter coupled with “a longer duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion” lead to depressed moods in people who are already susceptible.

There are ways to combat this with blood tests, says Minge.

Minge recommends anyone over the age of 40 to get a vitamin D blood test with their doctor.

“For women going through menopause this is very important,” she says. Bone density changes during menopause whereas vitamin D levels take a hit. Vitamin D levels also can affect PMS and anxiety, among other things.