Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - Full Text View

Purpose

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

Condition	Intervention	Phase
Seasonal Affective Disorder Depression	Behavioral: Light Therapy Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Behavioral: Light Therapy plus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy	Phase I

MedlinePlus related topics:

Depression Seasonal Affective Disorder

U.S. FDA Resources

Study Type:	Interventional
Study Design:	Treatment, Randomized, Single Blind, Placebo Control, Parallel Assignment, Efficacy Study

Official Title:	Cognitive Behavioral Approaches to Seasonal Depression

Further study details as provided by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):

Estimated Enrollment:	120
Study Start Date:	November 2002
Estimated Study Completion Date:	November 2004

Detailed Description:

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.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:	18 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:	Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	No

Criteria

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

Contacts and Locations

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00076245

Locations


United States, Maryland
	Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)
	Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20814-4799

Sponsors and Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

More Information

Society for Light Therapy and Biological Rhythms [SLTBR] This link exits the ClinicalTrials.gov site

Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy [AABT] This link exits the ClinicalTrials.gov site

Study ID Numbers:	R03 MH65946, DSIR AT-AS
First Received:	January 16, 2004
Last Updated:	July 28, 2006
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00076245
Health Authority:	United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):

Phototherapy

Study placed in the following topic categories:

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Depression

Mental Disorders

Mood Disorders

Depressive Disorder

Behavioral Symptoms

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Pathologic Processes

Disease

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on August 28, 2008

Sponsored by:	National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Information provided by:	National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00076245