IIT GOES HEADSTRONG INTO BATTLE AGAINST ‘WINTER BLUES’

This winter, Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) psychologists will seek to better the lives of seasonal depression sufferers through a group therapy study that incorporates an old stand-by – cognitive behavior therapy – in an innovative and potentially important new way.

It is among the first research applications of cognitive behavior therapy to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, known as SAD. In a six-week group treatment study to begin in November, researchers at IIT’s Institute of Psychology will empower sufferers of SAD – commonly called “winter blues” – to break the chain of spiraling moods and help patients feel better and lead more normal lives during the fall and winter months.

Led by IIT Associate Professor Michael Young, the research could lead to a breakthrough in SAD treatment and prevention. This winter, 16-20 SAD sufferers will learn to identify their symptoms, to use behaviors and thinking patterns to counteract their symptoms and how to intervene in the fall to minimize symptoms in future winters.

Giving SAD patients the behavior strategies to defeat symptoms such as loss of motivation, cravings of sugary or starchy foods, increased sleeping and eating, weight gain and fatigue between October and March, and especially in January and February, Young believes, will lead SAD sufferers to feel better and remain productive. The study is now accepting potential participants through a voicemail line, 312.567.3511.

“We aim to help change the way SAD patients think and behave as part of changing the way they feel,” said Young. “It’s very helpful to get people physically active because that helps them recover

SAD is a mood disorder in which the absence of light in shorter days of fall and winter causes people to become depressed. This is especially true in colder, northern climates where sunlight may be low even during daylight hours. The study will run from November through February and will treat people in small groups twice a week for six weeks. The study’s goal is for SAD sufferers to learn behavioral activation, more effective thinking and self-maintenance for future intervention.

This study represents a marked change in approach to treating SAD. Normally, SAD treatment involves phototherapy – viewing bright, fluorescent lights for 30 to 60 minutes a day. Through cognitive behavior therapy, sufferers will not only be able to improve the way they feel, but learn ways to increase activity and energy and identify and change negative thoughts in order to improve moods and treat their symptoms to minimize future episodes. The pilot project seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of this alternative treatment.

“It’s an exciting project,” said Young. “It is among the first tests of this therapy, and, based on dozens of studies with nonseasonal depression, there are many good reasons to believe it is effective.”

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting technological university awarding degrees in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, as well as architecture, psychology, design, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum prepares the university’s 6,200 students for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and culturally diverse global workplace.