Join us for an open house of the new Women and Babies Unit! September 2, 2-8 pm, Sunnybrook Sunnybroo omething new for depression Monica Matys [narrator here is something in the air, the question is can you feel it? Bright light therapy has long been used to treat Seasonal Depression that occurs during the winter months, so has ion therapy, both helping to boost feel-good brain chemicals. But do these approaches, when combined with medication, help with major depression? Sunnybrook is part of a three-year Canadian study to find out. Dr. Anthony Levit hey're using treatments in the study that have already been shown to be effective in depression, we're just looking for another combination that is better. Some people appear to respond preferentially to medications, some respond preferentially to light, and the idea is that if we can somehow give both, maybe we can actually cross those groups and have one successful treatment. Monica [narrator :53Major depression is one of the most common medical illnesses, affecting about 1 in 4 people at some point in Ontario alone. And according to the World Health Organization, major depression is poised to become the number one public health problem in the world. Dr. Levit f we can find a treatment that's more effective that's more effective than the treatments we have, this will be a tremendous public health issue. Monic o enroll in this study, you must be between 18 and 60 years old, and experiencing major depression. That means you've been feeling sad or down or have lost interest or motivation in your usual activities for 2 weeks or more. This may also be accompanied by a loss of appetite, and trouble sleeping or concentrating. Participants will be recruited over the next 3 years. For more information, call the study line at 416 480 4444, or, you can visit my blog [sunnyview.sunnybrook.ca]. With Sunnyview, I'm Monica Matys.