The general therapeutic effect of light on seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has been widely acknowledged. However, the antidepressant effect of light does not seem to be the same for different spectra of light. In this study, the authors attempted to study the spectral properties of phototherapy for SAD using a meta-analytical procedure. The findings suggested that light of short to medium wav...

BACKGROUND Biological theories on respiratory regulation have linked separation anxiety disorder (SAD) to panic disorder (PD). We tested if SAD children show similarly increased anxious and psychophysiological responding to voluntary hyperventilation and compromised recovery thereafter as has been observed in PD patients. METHODS Participants were 49 children (5-14 years old) with SAD, 21 cli...

The effect of the emotional quality of study-phase background music on subsequent recall for happy and sad facial expressions was investigated. Undergraduates (N = 48) viewed a series of line drawings depicting a happy or sad child in a variety of environments that were each accompanied by happy or sad music. Although memory for faces was very accurate, emotionally incongruent background music ...

Onset of social anxiety disorder (SAD) often precedes that of major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients with this comorbidity pattern. The current study examined the association between three SAD onset groups (childhood, adolescent, adulthood) and clinical characteristics of 412 psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with MDD and SAD based on a semi-structured diagnostic interview. Childhood and a...

BACKGROUND Light severely affects the occurrence of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). AIMS To compare the prevalence of SAD in persons with severe visual impairment and persons with full sight, and in persons with severe visual impairment with or without light perception. METHOD This cross-sectional study assessed the Global Seasonality Score (GSS) and the prevalence of SAD among 2781 pers...

Preliminary evidence supports the role of emotion-related deficits in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), including heightened emotional intensity, poor understanding of emotion, negative cognitive reactivity to emotions, and maladaptive emotion management. However, questions remain concerning the specificity of these emotion-related deficits compared to highly comorbid conditions such as socia...

Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is the most prevalent anxiety disorder experienced by children, and yet empirical treatment studies of SAD in young children are virtually nonexistent. This paper will describe the development and implementation of an innovative treatment for SAD in young children. First, we will highlight the rationale for developing interventions specifically for SAD in young...

In this issue, Eagles et al et al report that people report that people suffering from seasonal affective disorder suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are heavy users of primary health (SAD) are heavy users of primary health care services (Eagles care services (Eagles et al et al, 2002, this issue). , 2002, this issue). Nearly 10% of patients attending practices Nearly 10% of patie...