Can Major Depression Be Cured With Light Box Therapy

Major depression is quite a common disorder among the elderly and late life depression is found to affect nearly 6 million Americans aged 65 and above. Natural antidepressant and other drugs can be quite effective in older people but these drugs even carry potential side effects and mood disorders following childbirth. According to major depression information and clinical research suggests that light box therapy can be quite effective in reducing major depression symptoms in older adults successfully with very less risks.

Major Depression Information

As part of the major depression medication and research, the study looked over 90 adults aged 60 and above who had been diagnosed to have major depression. Nearly half of the patients were assigned to the bright light therapy for around three weeks. This also included spending an hour every morning with light box therapy that is usually used to treat seasonal affective disorder and also can serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors be combined with benzodiazepines for anxiety. The study for major depression medication concluded that those who were offered bright light therapy had made major improvements over their controls and the improvements were also comparable to the use of natural antidepressant and other drugs. The group with this therapy also showed an increased level in evening sleep, promoting melatonin, hormone and decreased level of cortisol or the stress hormone.

Light Therapy Effects

Light therapy has been successfully used for more than a decade to treat seasonal affective disorder and depression which usually appears in the winter months. However the new study on major depression information also shows that light box therapy can effectively treat major depression and can also do well with natural antidepressant and other drugs. Depression is a persistent problem impacting nearly 15 million Americans moreover it is also one of the leading causes for disability in the US from ages 15 to 44. There are some serious major depression symptoms as well but it can surely be treated. Several people have even committed suicide due to depression while most of the people sought help and take natural antidepressant for improvements. This is the reason why alternative treatment such as light box therapy can be considered as part of the major depression medication. So, with almost no side effects and a proven record of helpfulness, aiding light box therapy to your treatment means you have nothing to lose but gain.

Light Therapy Information

As with the working of this therapy, serotonin which is the brain hormone responsible for mood elevation, raises the exposure to bright light and falls when there is decreased exposure to light. This has been proven by several medical studies and is also included as one of the major depression medication methods. Similarly, according to major depression information and latest research, people who were exposed to bright blue light ever morning for an hour also showed improvements in their major depression symptoms. They also showed some great improvements in the level of melatonin that help with sleep and even regulated internal body clock while there were low levels of the cortisol stress hormone. Therefore in case you are experiencing symptoms of depression, make sure you get yourself diagnosed so that proper medication can be provided.