Cognitive-behavioral therapy vs. light therapy for preventing winter depression recurrence: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a subtype of recurrent depression involving major depressive episodes during the fall and/or winter months that remit in the spring. The central public health challenge in the management of SAD is prevention of winter depression recurrence. Light therapy (LT) is the established and best available acute SAD treatment. However, long-term compliance with daily LT from first symptom through spontaneous springtime remission every fall/winter season is poor. Time-limited alternative treatments with effects that endure beyond the cessation of acute treatment are needed to prevent the annual recurrence of SAD.

Methods/design

This is an NIMH-funded R01-level randomized clinical trial to test the efficacy of a novel, SAD-tailored cogniti

SUBMITTER: Rohan KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3652773 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature