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Humboldt Field Research Institute

Posted February 8, 1999

Psychologists Undertake New Study of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Psychological researchers have convincingly shown that people who suffer from depression can be effectively treated, but relief has been slow in coming to those who suffer from a related condition, Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD. Sandra Sigmon, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, and two Ph.D. candidates, Nina Boulard of New York City and Stacy Whitcomb of Newburgh, are beginning a study which may lead to new treatments for SAD.

They are looking for women 18 years-old and older who are willing to participate in their study this winter. The researchers hope to find 20 people for each of three groups. “We want to compare women with SAD to women with a major depressive episode that is not related to SAD and to a group of women who have not had SAD and do not have a current episode of depression,” says Sigmon.

Participants will receive compensation for an initial screening assessment lasting about two hours and subsequent tasks which take about one hour.

The research is particularly important for Maine, Sigmon notes. People in northern states like Maine have a higher rate of SAD than people in southern states. Most sufferers are women. SAD is marked by feelings common to other forms of depression as well as lethargy, craving for carbohydrates, weight gain and increased need for sleep.

Understanding the similarities between SAD and other types of depression, Sigmon says, could lead to new treatments for seasonal depression. Currently, the most common prescription is regular exposure to full-spectrum lights during the winter months. In contrast, non-seasonal depression can be effectively treated with behavioral and cognitive methods.

“There is very little work being done on psychological treatments for SAD. If we find that SAD is similar to non-SAD depression, it would make sense that we might be able to apply these same treatments to SAD. The difference would be that, for people with SAD, we would tailor treatment more to the changing seasons, reactions to it, thoughts about it,” she adds.

In a previous pilot study, Sigmon used behavioral and cognitive techniques with women who had a history of SAD. Data from that project are still being analyzed, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the cognitive and behavioral methods also work for SAD.

In addition, a 1995 study by Kelly Rohan, a former graduate student who worked with Sigmon, showed some similarities between SAD and other forms of depression. Sufferers of both tended to be highly concerned with their feelings and seasonal changes, a factor they called “rumination.”

However, Rohan and Sigmon also found differences. People with SAD, for example, tended to react more strongly to light and dark stimuli. Reactions were determined by measuring the sweat produced on the hands of experimental subjects who were exposed to pictures of light and dark scenes.

In the new study, Whitcomb and Boulard will screen participants to determine if they suffer from non-seasonal depression or SAD. Participants will be divided into three groups: people with non-seasonal depression, people with SAD, and people with neither form of depression.

During experimental sessions, subjects will complete questionnaires and take part in two types of tasks. Their heart rate and skin conductance will be measured as they are exposed to pictures with light and dark scenes. They will also be asked to solve groups of anagrams.

“This is great clinical training for us,” says Boulard who is in her second year in the Clinical Psychology program. “We'll be using both general broad measures which give an overview of various types of psychological disorders and very specific instruments designed to look at just SAD.”

“We know so little about SAD,” adds Whitcomb, “but we do know that it's more common in Maine than in southern states.”

Both Whitcomb and Boulard intend to use the results of the project to complete their thesis projects.

To participate, individuals can contact Sigmon at 207-581-2052.

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