daily light exposure among psychiatric inpatients

sun light accompany with rest and fresh air is beneficial for maintenance of health. although scientific and laboratory witnesses have shown the relationship between light exposure and mental health, the live experience of pleasure feeling of sunlight is far more than what is accepted by experimental and observational researches. patient with affective disorders have been treated by increasing daily artificial light exposure. there is a basic theory that depression is developed in winter and seasons in which hours of day are shorter. the hypothesis that supports this theory is that depression is met by increasing the time of light exposure. kripke et al found that excessive light may actively reduce no seasonal depression. they suggest that effectiveness of light may be more and faster than antidepressant drugs or psychotherapy.