January 08, 2007

Dawn Simulation and Negative Air Ionization Both Combat Wintertime Blues

For many people with "wintertime blues" or the more severe wintertime depression called "Seasonal Affective Disorder" (SAD) triggered by reduced sunlight, bright light therapy may be recommended in lieu of antidepressants, which can have side-effects that some people cannot tolerate. However, there are those who dislike subjecting themselves to the necessary 30 minutes or so of bright light early in the morning after waking up, while other people find the bright light therapy as "activating" or "destabilizing" as the antidepressants they had wished to avoid. Researchers have therefore been investigating safe alternatives to bright light therapy that can be used before waking up.

A study, written up in the American Journal of Psychiatry investigated alternative methods that can be used prior to waking up such as dawn simulations, and types of ionization. Two techniques found as effective as the bright light therapy and safer than other alternatives were naturalistic dawn simulation and high-density negative air ionization (said to simulate "fresh country air") both of which act as "active antidepressants" without the side-effects.

Read the Article: Dawn simulator curbs wintertime blues
Original Source: Controlled Trial of Naturalistic Dawn Simulation and Negative Air Ionization for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Posted by Jeanie Wolfson at January 8, 2007 07:35 PM

More Information on Schizophrenia Related Subjects

Comments

THANK YOU for such a PRACTICAL article. I really appreciate these types of articles on this site that are so useful to people with schizophrenia. That drug safety checklist was practical, and you have given other really important tips like about testing for diabetes and thyroid testing, so thank you.

I am already on enough medications for the rest of the year, but have problems in the winter. Taking more Risperdal just makes things worse because then I sleep even more. I tried the sun lamp but it gave me a headache. I printed this article out and took it to my doctor and now am going to give the ionization thing a try. If that doesn't work, I will add the dawn simulator.

There is a lot of news here for the chronically normals like how to not have your baby end up like me, or how we have nowhere to go when we need a hospital, but ones like this is practical for someone like ME who is just one more dude with schizophrenia trying to take care of myself.

P

Posted by: Philip at January 11, 2007 10:07 PM

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