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Every fall, like clockwork, Linda Krentz of Beaverton, Oregon, felt her brain go on strike. “I just couldn’t get going in the morning,” she says. “I’d get depressed and gain 10 pounds every winter and lose them again in the spring.” Then she read about seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that occurs in
fall and winter, and she saw the light literally. Every morning now she turns on a specially constructed light box for half an hour and sits in front of it to trick her brain into thinking it’s still enjoying those long summer days. It seems to work.
Krentz is not alone. Scientists estimate that 10 million Americans suffer from seasonal depression and
25 million more develop milder versions. But there’s never been definitive proof that treatment with very
bright lights makes a difference. After all, it’s hard to do a double-blind test when the subjects can see for
themselves whether or not the light is on. That’s why nobody has ever separated the real effects of light
therapy from placebo(安慰剂) effects.
Until now, in three separate studies published last month, researchers report not only that light therapy works better than a placebo but that treatment is usually more effective in the early morning than in the
evening. In two of the groups, the placebo problem was resolved by telling patients they were comparing
light boxes to a new anti-depressant device that gives off negatively charged ions(离子). The third used the timing of light therapy as the control.
Why does light therapy work? No one really knows. “Our research suggests it has something to do
with shifting the body’s internal clock,” says psychiatrist Dr. Lewey. The body is programmed to start the day with sunrise, he explains, and this gets later as the days get shorter. But why such subtle shifts make
some people depressed and not others is a mystery.
That hasn’t stopped thousands of winter depressives from trying to heal themselves. Light boxes for
that purpose are available without a doctor’s prescription. That bothers psychologist Michael Terman of
Columbia University. He is worried that the boxes may be tried by patients who suffer from mental illness
that can’t be treated with light. Terman has developed a questionnaire to help determine whether expert
care is needed.
In any event, you should choose a reputable manufacturer. Whatever product you use should give off
only visible light, because ultraviolet light damages the eyes. If you are photosensitive(对光敏感的), you
may develop a rash. Otherwise, the main drawback is having to sit in front of the light for 30 to 60 minutes in the morning. That’s an inconvenience many winter depressives can live with.
1. What is the probable cause of Krentz’s problem?
A. An unexpected gain in body weight.
B. Unexplained impairment of her nervous system.
C. Weakening of her eyesight with the setting in of winter.
D. Poor adjustment of her body clock to seasonal changes.
2. What is the CURRENT view concerning the treatment of seasonal depression with bright lights?
A. Its effect remains to be seen.
B. It serves as a kind of placebo.
C. It proves to be an effective therapy.
D. It hardly produces any effects.
3. What is psychologist Michael Terman’s major concern?
A. Winter depressives will be addicted to using light boxes.
B. No mental patients would bother to consult psychiatrists.
C. Bad light boxes will give off harmful ultraviolet lights.
D. Light therapy could be misused by certain mental patients.
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Winter depressives prefer light therapy in spite of its inconvenience.
B. Light therapy increases the patient’s photosensitivity.
C. Eye damage is a side effect of light therapy.
D. Light boxes can be programmed to correspond to shifts in the body clock.