Recommended Links - The SunBox Company - A Leader in Light Therapy Since 1985

Recommended Links

Bright Light Treatment

Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD)
& Winter Blues

Sleep & Circadian
Rhythm Disorders

Other Applications
for Bright Light
Treatment

Bibliography &
Resources

Links to other
websites

SunENews

©2003 The SunBox Company

In this section we present for you a list of links to further your research on light therapy and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In the first section you will find links related to the premier medical researchers in these fields, listed alphabetically by researcher. Further below you will find links to medical, support and research associations for SAD and light therapy, as well as links to articles and abstracts of medical research. If you believe there is a link which we’ve missed which should be listed here, please let us know! (See the button labeled “Contact Us” in the top left corner of this page for our contact information.)

Premier Researchers in the fields of Light Therapy and SAD:

Dr. Daniel F. Kripke, M.D.

Dr. Kripke is a licensed practicing physician certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Kripke has been researching the use of light for therapy for over 20 years now and has written hundreds of medical articles about his research.

Link to Dr. Kripke’s e-book, Brighten Your Life , which discusses the use of bright light to treat sleeping disorders and depression, you can also download and print the book for yourself if you have Acrobat Reader (see Ch. 9 of his book).
http://www.brightenyourlife.info/
http://www.dankripke.org

Dr. Raymond W. Lam, M.D.

Dr. Lam is Medical Director of the Mood Disorders Centre at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Hospital, and Head Professor of UBC’s Psychiatry Department Division of Clinical Neuroscience. He has conducted research on seasonal depression, light therapy, and circadian rhythm disturbances amongst a number of other topics. He is author of Seasonal Affective Disorder and Beyond: Light Treatment for SAD and non-SAD Disorders and a co-author of the Canadian Consensus Guidelines for the Treatment of SAD.

At the UBC Mood Disorders Center website you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about SAD and Light Therapy, instructions for using a light box and obtaining a light device, and download-able Acrobat Reader files of various medical articles. Check out the section “For the Public” and refer your health professional to the section “For Physicians and Mental Health Clinicians.”
http://www.psychiatry.ubc.ca/mood/sad/

Here is an excerpt from Canadian Consensus Guidelines for the Treatment of SAD (Please note this book is written for health professionals but can provide helpful information to the layman as well, & you can purchase it through Sunbox!):
http://www.psychdirect.com/depression/d-treatmentguidelinesSAD.htm

An article about SAD by Dr. Lam as published in Current Opinion in Psychiatry, January 1994:
http://www.mentalhealth.com/book/p40-sad.html

Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.

Dr. Rosenthal is best known as the psychiatrist and scientist who first described seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or winter depression, and pioneered the use of light in its treatment during his long and distinguished career as a National Institute of Mental Health researcher. He has conducted extensive research into disorders of mood, sleep and biological rhythms.

This link will take you directly to the section of his website featuring excerpts from his seminal work, Winter Blues and a self-diagnosis test for SAD.
http://www.normanrosenthal.com/winter_blues.html

Dr. Michael Terman, Ph.D., Columbia Clinical Chronobiology Program Dr. Terman head the Columbia Clinical Chronobiology Program which has been a leader in NIH-sponsored research on Seasonal Affective Disorder since the start of this field more than 15 years ago. The program focuses on the use of non-pharmacologic therapies (such as bright light) for treating different types of depression.

     A three part article on About.com about SAD by Dr. Terman and Mr. Jamie Rifkin. You can click on the first link and then click on Part 2 and 3 from that window or go to each section from our website.

     Part 1: Symptoms of SAD
     http://depression.about.com/library/weekly/aa120798.htm?once=true

     Part 2: Treatment of SAD
     http://depression.about.com/library/weekly/aa121498.htm

     Part 3: Disorders Beyond SAD (discusses other conditions light therapy might be useful for)
     http://depression.about.com/library/weekly/aa122198.htm

The Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms
The members of the SLTBR have clinical and research interests in biological rhythm disorders including: seasonal affective disorder (SAD), jet lag, shift work, sleep disorders, eating disorders, nonseasonal depression, bipolar disorder, premenstrual syndrome, and others. The corporate members of the SLTBR have developed devices for the scientific measurement of light and for the therapeutic use of light. Sunbox is a corporate member of this society!

In particular you may want to check out the Public Information section where you’ll find questions and answers about SAD and light therapy.
http://www.sltbr.org/

ABC News General, “All in your head” feature January, 1997--discussion of three then-released studies, includes a nice “click-able” diagram with information about light therapy, there’s also a transcript of a chat with Dr. Rosenthal:
http://archive.abcnews.go.com/sections/living/InYourHead/allinyourhead_13.html

National Mental Health Association SAD Fact Sheet:
http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/27.cfm

National Association for Mental Illness’ SAD info (reviewed by Dr. Rosenthal):
http://www.nami.org/helpline/sad.htm

National Institute for Medical Research, an article about Seasonal depression and light therapy by Michael A. Ferenczi:
http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/MillHillEssays/1997/sad.htm

Abstracts of various Light therapy and SAD studies, presented by Life Extension foundation a non-profit group that funds scientific research aimed at preventing disease and extending the human life-span.
http://www.lef.org/protocols/abstracts/abstr-098.html

Depression Treatment
Our mission is to research and develop the most effective treatments for Depression, Anxiety and Stress related conditions available today.
http://www.depressionperception.com