Has anyone actually done it? What do you think?

I'm asking more in regards to ADD than SAD, but of course I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts.

I thought light therapy was for serotonin, not dopamine.

Honestly, I have no idea how it's supposed to work, or if anyone does.. more to the point, I don't mean as any kind of treatment for ADD!! Just if, anecdotally, it actually helped anyone sleep better.. if that someone had ADD and trouble getting to sleep/ waking up. Huh. Guess this should have gone/ I should have looked in the sleep subforum. Well, my thinking was going along this vein:

J Clin Psychiatry. (http://javascript<b></b>:AL_get(this, 'jour', 'J Clin Psychiatry.');) 2006 Oct;67(10):1527-35.

An open trial of light therapy in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Rybak YE (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Rybak%20YE%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus), McNeely HE (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22McNeely%20HE%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus), Mackenzie BE (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Mackenzie%20BE%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus), Jain UR (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Jain%20UR%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus), Levitan RD (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Levitan%20RD%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus).

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.


<DD class=abstract>OBJECTIVE: In adults with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a delayed sleep/ activity rhythm and/or seasonal mood symptoms may contribute significantly to core pathology and disability. This study examined whether a chronobiologically based treatment, i.e., morning bright light therapy (LT), might have utility as an adjunctive treatment for adult ADHD in the fall/ winter period. METHOD: Twenty-nine adults with DSM-IV ADHD were administered a standard 3-week open trial of LT during the fall or winter months. Primary outcome measures included percentage reduction on the Brown Adult ADD Scale and the Conners' Adult ADHD Scale. Secondary measures were decrease in depression scores according to the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Seasonal Affective Disorder version; improvements on various neuropsychological tests; and shift toward an earlier circadian preference as measured by the Horne-Ostberg Morningness-Eveningness questionnaire. Regression analyses determined which variables at baseline best predicted improvement on a given outcome measure and which variables changed in parallel with one another. The study was conducted from November 2003 through February 2004. RESULTS: Morning bright light therapy was associated with a significant decrease in both subjective and objective measures of core ADHD pathology, improved mood symptoms, and a significant phase advance in circadian preference. Multiple regression showed that the shift toward an earlier circadian preference with LT was the strongest predictor of improvement on both subjective and objective ADHD measures. Neither baseline global seasonality scores nor baseline depression scores strongly predicted LT effects on most measures of ADHD. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that during the fall/winter period, LT may be a useful adjunct in many adults with ADHD. Strikingly, the strongest correlate of improvement in core ADHD pathology was a phase advance in circadian preference rather than alleviation of comorbid seasonal affective disorder, suggesting important clinical benefits of LT beyond the treatment of seasonal affective disorder.


</DD>

Well, it couldn't hurt, right? I live where we get a lot of clear, sunny days, winter and summer and I have no intention of moving.

I know there is a protocol.

My MOm has a SAD lamp.

Some protocol parts are that the light:

- be "full spectrum" from a special SAD lamp,
- another is that it be ~10 000 LUX {strength} at 12"-24",
- another is that it be given early in the AMs (upon awakening; light timers can help with this).

It is supposed to affect the functioning of the SCN ('suprachiasmatic nucleus') of the brain.

http://www.patienteducationcenter.org/aspx/HealthELibrary/HealthETopic.aspx?cid=L0108c

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suprachiasmatic_nucleus

Thanks. My apt. is basically a cave so yeah, couldn't hurt. I'll be sure to let you all know how it works out.

So did you Leah (or anyone else for that matter with ADHD) end up trying the light therapy?

Also just wondering does anyone here have full text access to this letter from 2007 in THE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY, Volume 68 Number 2 (http://www.psychiatrist.com/privatepdf/2007/v68n02/v68n02.pdf):

http://www.psychiatrist.com/pastppp/toc/t6802.htm

337 Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, ADHD, and Bright Light Therapy. Reut Gruber, Natalie Grizenko, and Ridha Joober
[PDF (http://www.psychiatrist.com/privatepdf/2007/v68n02/v68n0221.pdf)]
<DD class=abstract>
</DD>

So did you Leah (or anyone else for that matter with ADHD) end up trying the light therapy?


Yes, I have done it.. I was actually amazed at how immediate the effects were on my mood, and how much it helped my mood.. It was definitely more than just a "little" noticeable, there was a major difference in how I felt afterwards.. Didn't last more than a day or two, but hey..

Reminds me, I should go again.. Forgot all about it! :)

Yes, I have done it.. I was actually amazed at how immediate the effects were on my mood, and how much it helped my mood.. It was definitely more than just a "little" noticeable, there was a major difference in how I felt afterwards.. Didn't last more than a day or two, but hey..

Reminds me, I should go again.. Forgot all about it! :)

Thanks for the response Attainathon!:)

So did you find the light therapy helped your ADHD symptoms (like better attention span) or just your mood?

What brand and model were you using and for how long?

It's pretty disappointing that the results (at least moodwise) only lasted a few days - you kept on using it on the following days and did not get the same 'lift' I am guessing or did you just abruptly stop?

Check the Center for Environmental Therapeutics web site http://www.cet.org This group is affiliated with Columbia Medical Center. Under "Self-Assessment" use the AutoMEQ tool. Under "Therapy" is information regarding light therapy. There is also some interesting information in the "Ask the Doctor" section.

I use light therapy. It helps a little with my "inattentive-type" ADHD, but mostly it helps me wake up on time and get to bed on time.

Does anyone else have to deal with SAD and DSPS as well as ADD, like me?

This definitely looks like something worth looking into for the first two issues alone, as they don't really help with focus and attention issues, making the winter hell.