Light therapy or medication?

An article in the American Journal of Psychiatry (May 2006) The Can-SAD study: A randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of light Therapy and Fluoxetine in Patients with Winter Seasonal Affective Disorder describes a study which shows that both Light Therapy and Fluoxetine (an anti-depressant drug) are equally as effective for dealing with the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

There were 96 participants in the study all with diagnosed Seasonal Effective disorder and the study was carried out over 3 winters.

Separate studies have been done in the past but few have compared results in the same study.

The results are good news for patients who might prefer one type of treatment over another.