Section A • Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, February 6, 1998
Letting fake sunshine in can help alleviate blues
Sara Anderson
Kansan staff writer
Illustrations by Kris Harais / KANSAN
Simply turning on the lights can alleviate seasonal affective disorder, a depression syndrome brought on by shorter, darker winter days. But doctors say students should be wary when attempting home treatment.
"Home treatment is a possibility, but you need to be careful with it," said Hollis Bredeweg, development director at the Bert Nash Community Health Center. "If you are going to use self-treatment, you need to do it right."
Self-treatment can come in the form of commercial, full-spectrum light bulbs or phototherapy lamps from manufacturers. Bredweg said the safest method of treatment was to use a proper phototherapy lamp after being properly diagnosed with the disorder.
"I sold six or seven bulbs one Saturday to people who said they had a depression problem and wanted to try them," said Willy Weast, owner of Heinz Lighting, which sells full-spectrum light bulbs. "I also sell them to offices and schools to help keep people more upbeat."
The full-spectrum bulbs' rays are equivalent to sunlight and make colors look more true, Weast said. He sells the bulbs, usable in any household lamp, for $6 each.
At the Bert Nash Center, phototherapy patients affected by SAD sit between 18 and 24 inches away from a special lamp several times a week for 30 to 45 minutes.
The light helps to control the body's natural rhythms and can help combat depression. Bert Nash's light is eight times brighter than a regular light but does not emit dangerous ultraviolet rays.
Brent Menninger, a psychiatrist for the Bert Nash Center, said he worries that home treatment trivialized a potentially serious illness. Often, he
said, patients will need additional treatment to help combat the disease.
"The illness can devastate people's lives," he said. "The problem with home therapy is that it is incomplete because often people need adjunctive treatment. Just thinking that sitting in front of a light will make all the problems go away is too simplistic."
But there are people using commercial bulbs to treat themselves in their homes.
At least two stores in Lawrence sell light bulbs whose manufacturers claim help combat SAD, but the lights do not have UV filters. Watts Up and Electric Supply Co. sell bulbs manufactured by Phillips Lamps.
A customer service representative reached at the company's 800 number said the bulbs could be used for SAD treatment. The hotline said Phillips did not manufacture the bulbs for treating the disorder, however.
Calls made to the company's public relations representative were not returned.
Watts Up sells full-spectrum florescent bulbs. Janet Wilson, an employee of the store, said the bulbs were made to give truer indoor color. Wilson said the bulbs do not have a UV filter, but she does recommend them to combat SAD.
"Some customers come in and know exactly what they are looking for," she said. "If they don't know the name of the bulbs, I tell them what we have sold in the past. I don't tell them anything about how to use them though. I'm not a doctor."
Nancy Scott, office manager at Electric Supply Co., said they sell the full spectrum bulbs as well. She said they sell about a case of bulbs each month, but the bulbs can be used for things besides treatment of SAD.
Scott said she couldn't estimate how many people bought the bulbs specifically to combat SAD.
"Painters use them to get the true colors in their work and jewelry stores and museums use them to make things look better," she said. "The bulbs are supposed to work for SAD too, but I don't know the specifics on the bulbs, the times to use them or anything."
mercial bulbs to see if they helped. Bowen suffers some of the symptoms that accompany SAD, but has not been formally diagnosed with the disease.
Weast said the bulbs he sold were made by Verilux and did protect against UV rays.
"I would be tempted to buy them at least to try them out," she said. "Because they're not very expensive, I figure you might as well give it a shot."
Ashley Bowen, Augusta sophomore, said she would be interested in trying the com-
Bredweeg said sitting in front of a full-spectrum bulb was not phototherapy and treatment needed to be done under specific direction. He said special lights were not a substitute for phototherapy treatment and the Bert Nash Center does not recommend the bulbs for SAD treatment.
"Phototherapy needs to be done by a clinician after correct diagnosis," he said.
Brewedwe also said students should not try to self-diagnose themselves with SAD, and students should be correctly diagnosed by a health-care professional before any decision about treatment is made.
"We do not promote self-diagnosis or self-prescription," he said. "Students should go to a health service and tell them their symptoms.
"If a patient is diagnosed with SAD and a physician or psychiatrist says phototherapy is recommended, they can come and see if the therapy will work. If it does, then they could use the same type of light that we use at the clinic."
The Medical Arts Pharmacy in Lawrence sells and rents the lamps used specifically for phototherapy. They carry one model costing $399, but customers can rent the lamp for $50 a month.
"We carry a good quality lamp that doctors do recommend very highly," said Marvin Bredehoft, a registered pharmacist at the pharmacy. "We have sold it to people all over the area and it has been very beneficial to people with the depression."
"If a patient is diagnosed with SAD and a physician or psychiatrist says phototherapy is recommended, they can come and see if the therapy will work. If it does, then they could use the same type of light that we use at the clinic."
Hollis Bredeweg Development Director Bert Nash Community Health Center
Red Lyon Tavern
944 Mass. 832-8228
BOWERHILL
A secluded 4-Bedroom guest house in the city of Laurence.
(785) 843-0411 phone/fax
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Available for rehearsal dinners, private receptions, lunches, dinner.
A touch of Irish in downtown Lawrence
914 Massachusetts
841-6966
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- Let your voice be heard in the Lawrence community, by joining "Students On Board." There are many boards around Lawrence that are seeking the youthful opinions of the KU student.
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Tuesday, Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m. Oread Room - Kansas Union
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If you have questions, call CCO office at 864-4073
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