Mind and Body

Continued from yesterday’s post.

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SAD is ordinarily treated by light therapy, or exposure to artificial sunlight. At a certain distance, this emits 10,000 lux into the eyes of the patient. Patients are instructed to sit near the light for a certain amount of time per day. This treatment has only recently begun to show its relevance in clinical trials, and has not been approved by the FDA due to the lack of  evidence with regards to its effectiveness. However, light therapy is increasingly being used in therapy, not just in SAD, but in other types ofdepression, as well.
Interestingly, light therapy’s effectiveness may be related to color and its influence on depression. This makes even more sense because light therapy is typically not effective treatment for very severe depression, in which case the usual anti-depressant and psychotherapy combinations are prescribed.

Color may play a very important role in depression.

Depressed people frequently describe themselves as living in dull, colorless environments, or feeling that the world around them is gray, sluggish, or otherwise colorless. Bipolar patients also provide a link to color – when taking Rorschach inkblot tests, bipolar patients almost always remark on the vibrant colors in the colored inkblot images. Because bipolar disorder is characterized by manic episodes coupled with spates of depression, this interest in color could be significant. Color may stimulate the mind, and provide some necessary psychological function. This might also explain the increased cases of depression in recent years; with the obsession with technology and work so prevalent in our culture, people often live dull, colorless lives because they do not spend enough time outside.

Spending time outside is another recommended “treatment” for depression, because depression is more likely to relapse if patients do not.

This is just theory, but something I would like to look into later on in my career. If you’re feeling down, try looking at pictures of flowers, or other images with lots of color, particularly warm colors which will stimulate the mind and provoke warmer emotions. It might just help.