In the journals: Cognitive behavioral therapy more effective than light therapy for relieving seasonal depression
That finding may be especially significant given the shortcomings of light therapy. The patient has to sit near a "light box" every day for 30 to 45 minutes throughout the winter, a regimen that many can't maintain. There's also a risk to people with certain eye conditions, such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Light therapy can trigger mania or hypomania in people with bipolar disorder. Most important, 20% to 50% of patients just don't respond to it.
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