Media Release | Nov. 9, 1999
UBC researcher offers new guide for SAD treatment
People who suffer from SAD -- seasonal affective disorder -- may
be cheered to know that a University of British Columbia psychiatric
researcher has recently released the first comprehensive clinical
guide to the treatment of this form of depression.
"Treatment of winter depression has been the subject of a lot of
controversy and conflicting opinion," says Psychiatry Prof. Raymond
Lam, who organized a group of Canadian researchers and clinicians
to develop the guidelines. "We've carefully assessed the strengths
and weaknesses of virtually every known study conducted to help
individuals, families, health professionals and researchers know
the best ways to combat SAD."
Called the Canadian Consensus Guidelines for the Treatment of
Seasonal Affective Disorder, the book was co-edited by Lam,
who is head of UBC's Division of Mood Disorders, and Anthony Levitt,
an associate professor of Psychiatry and Nutrition at the University
of Toronto.
The guide uses a question and answer format to cover issues such
as diagnosis and epidemiology, light as a form of treatment, medications
and management of the condition.
Summary tables of recommendations include a rating of level of
scientific evidence so that areas of controversy or limited data
are highlighted.
SAD has been recognized as a distinct type of depression since
1984. Symptoms such as oversleeping, overeating, and fatigue during
the winter months affect about 100,000 people in B.C. including
children and adults, says Lam, who is the medical director of the
Mood Disorders Program located at UBC Hospital.
Lam studies the biochemical effects of light therapy -- daily exposure
to special high intensity light -- by measuring serotonin and noradrenaline,
two of the main neurotransmitters that are altered in depression.
The guide is available at the UBC Bookstore and other book retailers.
A summary of the guidelines can be found on the Internet at www-fhs.mcmaster.ca/direct/sad.html.
-30-
|
