Light therapy blog

The apparition of SAD in your family can be a real challenge. Given that it occurs every season, it can have a big impact in the long run. Here are a few tips to help you out.

The first thing to understand is that this is a depression, not a bad mood. People suffering from SAD are sick. Like other illnesses, SAD requires a treatment to be cured. For example, the lack of light in a SAD patient must be considered in the same way one would consider the lack of insulin in a diabetic person. Don’t ever forget the depressive state is totally independent from the real character of your loved one.

Even if in fact what you can do about this is limited, (you are not the treatment and you are not a psychiatrist) your sole presence is already a great start and is very important. For example, one of the big differences you can make is to be sure the treatment prescribed by your health professional is followed. Indeed, the treatment often fails because it is simply not taken. Because of their depressive state, a lot of patients simply feel nothing will help them. So go ahead and give them that little nudge so they sit in front of their light therapy lamp every morning, day after day. Make sure they follow the doctor's instruction to the letter. If the doctor said “use the light in the morning as soon as you wake up”, make sure that's the case. Make sure they don't fall asleep in front of the lamp during light therapy. Make sure they keep their eyes open, and so on.

If you don't believe in the treatment yourself, you will discourage your loved one even more. If you are not convinced about this treatment go and meet your doctor. Talk to him about it and ask him your questions.

There are certain things you have to be careful about. For example, since the depressed one seems in slow motion you might be tempted to tell them to “move it”. Don't forget that depression is at the origin of this lack of energy. By trying to shake him up, you might deepen his feeling of uselessness.