Full access
Clinical & Research News
Published Online: 20 November 2009

Psychiatrists Develop Therapy Guide

Publication: Psychiatric News
Volume 44, Number 22
https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.44.22.psychnews_44_22_027
Track CitationsAdd to favorites
Two-thirds of patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) improve with light therapy, often starting within one week. Most find the 15- to 30-minute regimen easy to fit into daily life, and with the recent introduction of light boxes costing about $100, regard treatment as affordable.
Despite demonstration of light therapy's benefits over the past 25 years, many psychiatrists have yet to incorporate it into their practice, Raymond Lam, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, told PsychiatricNews.
Aiming to change that, he and Edwin Tam, M.D., a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, developed A Clinician's Guide to Using Light Therapy (Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Lam and Tam describe clinical features and differential diagnosis of SAD and discuss who should and should not use light therapy. They offer advice on selecting light devices, monitoring clinical response, managing side effects, and combining light therapy with antidepressants and other treatments. They also provide clinician resources, including patient questionnaires, instruction sheets, rating scales, and a sample insurance reimbursement letter.
In addition, they discuss light treatment for nonseasonal depression and other psychiatric disorders.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric News
Psychiatric News
Volume 44 • Number 22 • November 20, 2009
Pages: 22

History

Published online: 20 November 2009
Published in print: November 20, 2009

Authors

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

View Options

View options

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share

×

As described within the American Psychiatric Association (APA)'s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences. Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.