Seasonal Affective Disorder and Beyond: Light Treatment for SAD and Non-SAD Conditions [Hardcover]

"It was only about 15 years ago that psychiatrists were first introduced to a new treatment--bright light therapy--for a newly recognized psychiatric syndrome, seasonal affective disorder (SAD). A great deal has been learned since then, not only about light therapy but about other disorders for which it may be useful: ircadian phase sleep disorders such as jet lag, shiftwork, and delayed sleep syndrome, premenstrual depression, bulimia nervosa, perhaps even nonseasonal major depression. This book, edited by Raymond Lam M.D., one of the leading clinical researchers in the field, is both a practical introduction for the novice psychiatric clinician and a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the basic mechanisms of light therapy, the pathophysiology of the disorders, and the pitfalls and future prospects of light therapy for the clinical researcher. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in this new and exciting field."-- "J. Christian Gillin, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California"

In 1984, Dr. Norman Rosenthal and his colleagues published a seminal research paper on seasonal affective disorder (SAD), unveiling what they were convinced was the healing power of light therapy for people suffering from the illness. Since then, many scientific and medical communities have come to believe that the therapeutic use of light holds great promise for not only SAD, but also a variety of other disorders.

This wide-ranging book combines in a single, cohesive reference new, up-to-the-minute findings with a complete summary of the available literature on light therapy. Seventeen contributors, leading clinicians studying the effects and uses of light treatment, discuss the impact of light and light therapy on such conditions as SAD, premenstrual depression, circadian phase sleep disorders, jet lag, shift work disorders, insomnia, and behavioral disturbances. Challenging conventional thinking about light therapy, several contributing authors make convincing cases for its positive effects in treating nonseasonal depression, bulimia nervosa, and other illnesses. Finally, members of a joint task force of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms and the American Sleep Disorders Association explore the use of light for treating sleep disorders, as well as a combination of light and melatonin in some cases.

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Beyondis an invaluable reference tool for clinicians, researchers, scientists, students, and consumers who want the latest information and opinion about the therapeutic uses of light compiled in one succinct, comprehensive volume.

Raymond W. Lam, M.D.,is Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Division of Mood Disorders at the University of British Columbia; Vancouver Hospital & Health Sciences Centre, in Vancouver, British Columbia.