ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 29 A University of Rochester research review says that Seasonal Affective Disorder is actually a subtype of major depression and should be treated as such.Lead author Dr. Stephen Lurie, an assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said that SAD is sometimes missed in the typical doctor's office setting.Like major depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder probably is under-diagnosed in primary care offices, Lurie said. But with personalized and detailed attention to symptoms, most patients can be helped a great deal.For some patients, SAD is precipitated by darker days causing a shift in 24-hour hormonal rhythms. The loss of natural light outdoors can be replaced with treatment by indoor light-therapy units designed for SAD. Light therapy is best delivered in the morning, when it can regulate the daily pattern of melatonin secretion, according to the review published in the American Academy of Family Physicians.Copyright 2007 by UPI
