How Effective Are Seasonal Affective Disorder Lamps?

The effectiveness of Seasonal Affective Disorder lamps is generally quite high, but is necessarily influenced by individual response, uniformity of treatment time and regimen, and overall lamp quality. Doctors have long been using lamps to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, as it is more commonly known. The lamps, which mimic sunlight, have been medically proven to treat the disorder in most patients. Individual effectiveness is harder to predict, but usually depends on how the lamp is used and whether it is used in conjunction with other treatments as prescribed by a doctor.

Not all Seasonal Affective Disorder lamps are the same. Different manufactures produce lamps with different features and at different price points. Although all lamps are designed with the same goal in mind — namely, to mimic sunlight for patients with seasonally-triggered depressive disorders — the means through which that artificial sunlight is delivered can vary. A big part of a lamp’s effectiveness for a particular patient turns around whether the lamp is of a high enough quality to meet the patient’s individual needs.

Directions are also very important. Some Seasonal Affective Disorder lamps require patients to sit still before the light panel for a set amount of time, usually anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Others permit some limited movement. Patients who do not follow the lamp’s particular instructions, or who do not repeat the same timing and sitting routine each day, may not experience the treatment’s full effects.

Most Seasonal Affective Disorder lamps are meant to be used first thing in the morning, every morning. Patients are usually instructed to sit in front of the lamp just after waking, when the outside world is still dark. Use at other times, particularly in the evening or before bed, can skew the lamp's ability to provide effective depression relief.

For some patients, the use of Seasonal Affective Disorder lamps is enough to temper their suffering. Like all mental disorders, however, SAD is a complex condition that sometimes requires several different treatment approaches. Other treatments for SAD include antidepressants, psychological counseling, and melatonin-balancing drugs.

Seasonal Affective Disorder lamps are usually most effective when paired with one or more of these other treatment options. Regular doctor visits and counseling sessions are recommended in order to keep all treatments in balance. Doctors with expertise in SAD and related mental disorders will be able to gauge how Seasonal Affective Disorder lamps are impacting a particular patient’s treatment regimen, and will be able to make treatment recommendations with respect to how lamps should be used to maximize effectiveness.