Light therapy to treat winter depression in adolescents in Iceland.
Year: 1998
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To determine whether light therapy during winter is beneficial to adolescents with symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SETTING: The 3 largest colleges in Reykjavik, Iceland. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen college students, 18 and 19 years old, suffering from symptoms of SAD. OUTCOME MEASURES: School attendance and self-reported change in indicators (concentration, ability to awaken in the morning, and frequency of breakfast). RESULTS: Light therapy helped some of the students concentrate and wake up in the morning, usually only to a mild degree, but did not improve school attendance. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of effect of light therapy on school attendance in a group of students with symptoms of SAD indicates that school attendance is influenced by several complex factors, of which seasonal disorders are not a major determinant, even in those most at risk.
Source: PubMed Central
Author: A Magnusson
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W181948708