"Can Light Therapy Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis-Related Depression?" - Meryl Davids Landau
When the nights get longer and bright sunshine becomes a distant memory in many parts of the country, you may be more prone to depression. In people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), research has shown depression occurs at a rate double to quadruple that of the general population. The causes in someone with RA are vast, including mood changes from the financial and lifestyle shifts that can be brought on by the disease, to systemic inflammation. The lack of light may also play a role, in a type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. “A lot of my patients with depression do have a worsening of their mood as the light changes,” said Elizabeth Ochoa, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief psychologist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, who noted there is some controversy about the diagnosis of SAD within the psychological community.
- Elizabeth Ochoa, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chief Psychologist, Mount Sinai Beth Israel