View clinical trials related to Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Filter by:The purpose is to study treatments of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Recurrent fall/winter major depression (known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)) is a prevalent and disruptive disorder whose pathophysiological basis is unknown, but several hypotheses attribute a causal role to the circadian timing system. Bright white light exposure via the retina has been shown to reverse the symptoms of SAD. Recent physiological studies demonstrated the existence of retinal ganglion cells capable of transducing light input to the retinohypothalamic tract, the primary circadian afferent in humans. This retinohypothalamic system appears to be maximally sensitive to light in the 446-477nm (violet/blue) range. Using light-emitting diode (LED) technology, light of narrow bandwidths now can be delivered from a safe, relatively inexpensive device. We propose to contrast in SAD patients the efficacy and tolerability of 468 nm LED light from a portable 11cm x 6cm commercially-available device (GoLITEÔ) to a broader 400-700 nm wavelength LED-generated light housed in an identical device. The broad wavelength (white) light from our LED device is similar to that from cool-white fluorescent 10,000 lux devices currently the standard for treatment of SAD (see e.g., Lam & Levitt, 1999). Twenty-four depressed SAD outpatients will be randomized to a 3-week trial of light therapy using either the narrow 468 nm LED source or the broader 400-700 nm LED source, each housed in a GoLITEÔ device. Subjects will be given devices and written instruction for administering daily treatments at home, 45min every (q) a.m. The devices will be described to subjects in terms of wavelength but not specifically described as "blue" or "white." Weekly depression ratings and assessments of adverse effects will be obtained by a trained rater blind to the treatment condition. Depressive symptoms will be rated weekly by the same trained clinician. The following hypotheses will be evaluated: - H1-- Depressed SAD patients will demonstrate greater antidepressant therapeutic benefit from the narrow-wavelength (blue) source than from the broad-wavelength (white) source. - H2-- Depressed SAD patients will manifest fewer adverse effects during treatment with the narrow-wavelength (blue) source than with the broad-wavelength (white) source.
This study will assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating seasonal affective disorder (SAD), commonly called the "winter blues."
A placebo controlled study evaluating the effectiveness of medication in preventing winter depressive episodes in patients with a history of Seasonal Affective Disorder
A Placebo Controlled Study Evaluating The Effectivess Of Medication In Preventing Seasonal Affective Disorder
This is a placebo controlled study evaluating the effectiveness of medication in preventing depressive episodes in subjects with a history of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
The purpose of this study is to determine what dose of a new timed-release tablet of the drug propranolol will reduce secretion of the hormone melatonin in healthy volunteers. This study will also determine whether suppressing melatonin will improve depressive symptoms in people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD (sometimes referred to as winter depression) is a condition in which people experience depression as a result of seasonal variations in light. Human brains have a circadian pacemaker that regulates many body functions. As the seasons change and light duration varies, the circadian pacemaker regulates seasonal behavior by transmitting a signal of day length to the pineal gland, which secretes the hormone melatonin. Melatonin secretion increases in the winter as the duration of light decreases. Evidence suggests that the melatonin signal of seasonal change is present in people with SAD but not in healthy volunteers; thus there is a possibility that seasonal changes which influence the duration of melatonin secretion control the course of illness in individuals with SAD. This study will determine whether propranolol can shorten the duration of melatonin secretion and mimic the effect of summer days to improve symptoms of depression in people with SAD. Healthy volunteers will be admitted to the hospital for about 2 days. The volunteers will receive either propranolol or placebo (an inactive pill) before going to bed and upon awakening. Blood samples will be collected at various times throughout the study. Participants with SAD will be interviewed periodically on an outpatient basis to determine the onset of depression in the fall or winter. Two weeks after depressive symptoms arise, participants will begin treatment with either propranolol or placebo. At the beginning of the treatment, participants will be hospitalized for about 2 days and will have blood collected at various times. During the hospital stay, participants will continue treatment with either propranolol or placebo in the morning and at night; all participants will receive propranolol at some point during the study. Participants will be interviewed weekly for 4 weeks. Premenopausal women with or without SAD will keep a record of their menstrual cycles and will use a urine test kit to identify the time of ovulation during the month before and after admission to the hospital.
We are offering non-pharmacologic therapy for alleviation of symptoms associated with depressed mood that recurs annually in fall or winter. The treatments are self-administered at home by the patient, with close clinical supervision. Our trials use specially designed devices that replenish two different environmental elements, naturally occurring light and negative ions in the air. Both factors may be reduced in winter, bringing on depression.
As the seasons change during the course of the year, many animals show major changes in their behavior and physiology. Many of these changes are triggered by changes in the length of time each night that the pineal gland produces the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is produced for a longer time in winter when nights are long, than in summer when nights are short. Some researchers believe that melatonin may play a similar role in how season effects mood of patients with seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or mood disorder with seasonal pattern is a condition where the normal biorhythm is disturbed during a season, especially autumn-winter. Patients may begin experiencing or experience worsening of depressive symptoms. Patients complain of being constantly tired, craving sugary foods, overeating, and over sleeping. Researchers have collected some preliminary data showing that the duration of nighttime melatonin secretion increases in winter and decreases in summer in healthy women, but not in healthy men. However, men diagnosed with SAD have shown longer duration of melatonin secretion in the winter, similar to the duration seen in healthy women. If these early findings are confirmed it may explain why SAD is more common in women than in men. The purpose of this study is to continue researching the differences in melatonin secretion over the seasons in healthy men and women, and to determine how these findings may apply to patients with SAD.