How to Select a Light Therapy Box for Seasonal Depression

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, seasonal depression that occurs during fall and winter months due to a lack of sunlight affects approximately 4 to 6% of people. Seasonal Affective Disorder, also called SAD, can affect another 10 to 20% of people and is four times more likely to occur in women than in men. SAD is also more common in northern locations such as Washington state as opposed to a more southern and sunny state like Florida.

Light therapy with a medical phototherapy lamp, also called a light therapy box, can help to alleviate some symptoms of seasonal depression although can be more effective when combined with additional treatments such as psychotherapy and antidepressant medication.

How Light Therapy Treatment for Depression Works

Light therapy boxes mimic outdoor sunlight, which is believed to cause a chemical change in the brain that eases symptoms of seasonal depression and lifts your mood. Generally, a light therapy box should emit as little UV light as possible and should provide an exposure to 10,000 lux of light.

Recommendations for using light therapy include:

• Using for about 20 to 30 minutes within the first hour of waking up

• Have your eyes open but do not look directly at the light

• Keep the lamp a distance of 16 to 24 inches away from your face

Light therapy boxes are designed with special medical phototherapy lamps. Some people might think that a tanning bed provides the same benefit although this is not true. Tanning bed lamps are quite different and are known to increase the risk of skin cancer. While light therapy for seasonal depression is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, they are designed to be safe and effective.

Your doctor can help to recommend a specific type of light therapy box, although you can buy one without a prescription and most health insurance plans will not cover the cost.

Considerations When Choosing a Light Therapy Box

It is best to speak with your doctor about your symptoms and for help in choosing the right type of light therapy treatment. For people with bipolar disorder, too much exposure could induce manic symptoms. People with eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, or eye damage from diabetes should speak with their eye doctor before beginning phototherapy.

When choosing a light therapy box make sure that it is specifically designed to treat seasonal depression. Many medical phototherapy lamps are designed to treat skin disorders such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, and vitiligo. Medical therapy lamps designed for skin conditions are not the same as lamps designed for depression.  Tanning lamps and UVC germicidal lamps are also not designed with the same wavelength and can cause harm instead of benefits if used incorrectly. 

LightSources is a leading global supplier of UV lamp solutions including medical phototherapy lamps. We provide high-tech, custom designed and engineered lamps for a wide range of applications and industries, including phototherapy. Contact us for high-quality UV lamp solutions including light therapy lamps for seasonal depression.