CBT More Effective Than Light Therapy for Relieving SAD

Up to 10% of Americans have depressive symptoms at roughly the same time every year during the winter months.  The condition is known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  The first-line treatment has been light therapy–daily exposure to artificial bright light.  But according to a study led at the University of Vermont,  cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is more effective.  The results, which appeared in the September 2009 issue of Behavioral Therapy, showed that the benefits of CBT lasted for at least a year.

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