A new study of Seasonal Affective Disorder, a variety of depression that seems to be associated with winter has had a history of being successfully treated by intense light 45 minutes twice a day during the winter season. The problem has been that people have a tough time adhering to a daily schedule of 90 minutes of intense light. The side of the issue is that the lights are quite expensive, in the area of $350 or more. As a rule, insurance doesn't readily pay for the lights.

University of Vermont

Only six percent of the CBT participants met the criteria for depression at the one-year follow-up, while 40 percent of light-exclusive participants met the depression criteria during the winter season of the next year. The majority of light therapy users reported having a hard time adhering to the recommended twice-daily 45-minute light box sessions at the end of six weeks of study treatment.

Rohan's research offers compelling evidence that CBT talk therapy by itself may be an effective treatment for SAD and may offer some long-term benefits over light therapy. "Sitting in front of a light box every day of the fall and winter promotes sedentary behavior and is hard for people to maintain over time," she says. "Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a time-limited treatment and appears to have better long-term effects."

Combining therapy with light may be even more effective according to the study.