Norman E. Rosenthal
Encyclopedia
Norman E. Rosenthal is a psychiatrist and scientist who in the 1980s first described winter depression or seasonal affective disorder
(SAD), and pioneered the use of light therapy
for its treatment.
Rosenthal was born and educated in South Africa
and moved to the United States
to complete his medical training. He established a private practice and spent 20 years as a researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH) where he studied the disorders of mood, sleep, and biological rhythms.
Rosenthal’s research with SAD led him to write “Winter Blues” and two other books on the topic. More recently Rosenthal has written a book on the Transcendental Meditation technique
and conducted research on its potential influence on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In total, he has written seven books, including one on the topic of jet lag
, and published 200 scholarly papers.
, South Africa. He received his M.B. B.Ch. (equivalent of an M.D.) from the University of the Witwatersrand
in Johannesburg and completed an internship in Internal Medicine and Surgery at Johannesburg General Hospital
. He moved to the United States to further his education as a resident, and then became Chief Resident in psychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute
and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
in Bethesda, Maryland
. This was the beginning of a 20 year career with the NIMH as a Researcher, Research Fellow, and Senior Researcher. Rosenthal became the director of seasonal studies at the institute and in 1985, led research with 160 participants on the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and later studied the psycho-physiological phenomena of "spring fever".
Rosenthal co-authored the book, How to Beat Jet Lag
in 1993 and in 1998, he was named clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical School. He became the Medical Director of Capital Clinical Research Associates in Rockville, Maryland
in 2001 and is currently its CEO. He received a special recognition award from the Society for Light Treatment & Biological Rhythms (SLBTR) in 1999 and published the book The Emotional Revolution: How the New Science of Feeling Can Transform Your Life in 2002.
Early in his career, Rosenthal learned the Transcendental Meditation technique
while in South Africa, but found that as a medical student and a medical resident he didn't have time to practice. Then 35 years later, after one of his patients had a dramatic improvement as a result of TM, he began practicing again and then began recommending it to his patients. In 2011, he published Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation
, which debuted at number seven on the New York Times' Best Sellers: Hardcover Advice, How-To And Miscellaneous list. Earlier that year, Rosenthal published preliminary research on the potential influence of TM on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Rosenthal has written more than 200 scholarly publications and his writings have been featured in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Research, Archives of General Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Molecular Psychiatry, and Journal of Affective Disorders. He continues to conduct research on pediatric and adolescent SAD, pharmaceutical treatments for SAD and the effects of light therapy on seasonal bipolar disorder
and circadian rhythms.
According to his web site, Rosenthal has received the A.P.A.
New York District Branch prize for paper written by a resident, the Psychiatric Institute Alumni Prize for best research performed by Psychiatric Institute Resident, the Public Health Service Commendation Medal, the Anna Monika Foundation Award for Depression Research, the Public Health Service Outstanding Service Award.
. In 1984, he coined the term and began studying the use of light therapy
as a treatment. Rosenthal’s interest in studying the effects of the seasons on mood changes emerged when he emigrated from the mild climate of Johannesburg, South Africa, to the northeastern USA. As a resident in the psychiatry program at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, he noticed that he was more energetic and productive during the long days of summer versus the shorter darker days of the winter.
In 1980, his team at NIMH admitted a patient with depression who had observed seasonal changes within himself and thought previous research regarding melatonin
release at night may be able to help him. Rosenthal and his colleagues treated the patient with bright lights
, which helped to successfully manage the depression. They conducted a formal follow-up study to confirm the success. The results were published in 1984, officially describing SAD and pioneering light therapy as an effective treatment method. The research on SAD and light therapy is inconclusive and in someways controversial, as not all researchers agree with Rosenthal's conclusions on the effect of light therapy and at what time of day the light should be administered.
Rosenthal has written three books on the topic of SAD; Seasonal Affective Disorders and Phototherapy (1989), Seasons of the Mind: Why You Get the Winter Blues and What You Can Do About It (1989) and Winter Blues (2005). As a result of his research and publications, "it is now widely acknowledged that winter depression has a sound medical basis, involving changes in the body's mood centers" associated with exposure to light. Rosenthal later identified a form of reverse SAD which some experience in the summer season.
Seasonal affective disorder
Seasonal affective disorder , also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn...
(SAD), and pioneered the use of light therapy
Light therapy
Light therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light, usually controlled with various devices...
for its treatment.
Rosenthal was born and educated in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to complete his medical training. He established a private practice and spent 20 years as a researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health
National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...
(NIMH) where he studied the disorders of mood, sleep, and biological rhythms.
Rosenthal’s research with SAD led him to write “Winter Blues” and two other books on the topic. More recently Rosenthal has written a book on the Transcendental Meditation technique
Transcendental Meditation technique
The Transcendental Meditation technique is a specific form of mantra meditation often referred to as Transcendental Meditation. It was introduced in India in 1955 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi...
and conducted research on its potential influence on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In total, he has written seven books, including one on the topic of jet lag
Jet lag
Jet lag, medically referred to as desynchronosis, is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms; it is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders...
, and published 200 scholarly papers.
Early life and education
Rosenthal (b. 1950) was born and raised in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa. He received his M.B. B.Ch. (equivalent of an M.D.) from the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
in Johannesburg and completed an internship in Internal Medicine and Surgery at Johannesburg General Hospital
Johannesburg General Hospital
'The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital , nicknamed Joburg Gen is an accredited general hospital in Parktown, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It has 1088 beds...
. He moved to the United States to further his education as a resident, and then became Chief Resident in psychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute
New York State Psychiatric Institute
The New York State Psychiatric Institute, established in 1895 and located on Riverside Drive at the foot of Washington Heights, the far upper west side of Manhattan in New York City, was one of the first institutions in the United States to integrate teaching, research and therapeutic approaches to...
and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
Career
Rosenthal began a private practice in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 1979. At the same time, he began a research fellowship with Fredrick Goodwin at the National Institute of Mental HealthNational Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...
in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
. This was the beginning of a 20 year career with the NIMH as a Researcher, Research Fellow, and Senior Researcher. Rosenthal became the director of seasonal studies at the institute and in 1985, led research with 160 participants on the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and later studied the psycho-physiological phenomena of "spring fever".
Rosenthal co-authored the book, How to Beat Jet Lag
Jet lag
Jet lag, medically referred to as desynchronosis, is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms; it is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders...
in 1993 and in 1998, he was named clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical School. He became the Medical Director of Capital Clinical Research Associates in Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
in 2001 and is currently its CEO. He received a special recognition award from the Society for Light Treatment & Biological Rhythms (SLBTR) in 1999 and published the book The Emotional Revolution: How the New Science of Feeling Can Transform Your Life in 2002.
Early in his career, Rosenthal learned the Transcendental Meditation technique
Transcendental Meditation technique
The Transcendental Meditation technique is a specific form of mantra meditation often referred to as Transcendental Meditation. It was introduced in India in 1955 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi...
while in South Africa, but found that as a medical student and a medical resident he didn't have time to practice. Then 35 years later, after one of his patients had a dramatic improvement as a result of TM, he began practicing again and then began recommending it to his patients. In 2011, he published Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation
Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation
Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation is a book written by psychiatrist and researcher Norman E. Rosenthal, published in 2011 by the Tarcher imprint of the Penguin Group...
, which debuted at number seven on the New York Times' Best Sellers: Hardcover Advice, How-To And Miscellaneous list. Earlier that year, Rosenthal published preliminary research on the potential influence of TM on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Rosenthal has written more than 200 scholarly publications and his writings have been featured in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Research, Archives of General Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Molecular Psychiatry, and Journal of Affective Disorders. He continues to conduct research on pediatric and adolescent SAD, pharmaceutical treatments for SAD and the effects of light therapy on seasonal bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and circadian rhythms.
According to his web site, Rosenthal has received the A.P.A.
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
New York District Branch prize for paper written by a resident, the Psychiatric Institute Alumni Prize for best research performed by Psychiatric Institute Resident, the Public Health Service Commendation Medal, the Anna Monika Foundation Award for Depression Research, the Public Health Service Outstanding Service Award.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Rosenthal is referred to as the pioneer of research into seasonal affective disorderSeasonal affective disorder
Seasonal affective disorder , also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn...
. In 1984, he coined the term and began studying the use of light therapy
Light therapy
Light therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light, usually controlled with various devices...
as a treatment. Rosenthal’s interest in studying the effects of the seasons on mood changes emerged when he emigrated from the mild climate of Johannesburg, South Africa, to the northeastern USA. As a resident in the psychiatry program at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, he noticed that he was more energetic and productive during the long days of summer versus the shorter darker days of the winter.
In 1980, his team at NIMH admitted a patient with depression who had observed seasonal changes within himself and thought previous research regarding melatonin
Melatonin
Melatonin , also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a naturally occurring compound found in animals, plants, and microbes...
release at night may be able to help him. Rosenthal and his colleagues treated the patient with bright lights
Light therapy
Light therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light, usually controlled with various devices...
, which helped to successfully manage the depression. They conducted a formal follow-up study to confirm the success. The results were published in 1984, officially describing SAD and pioneering light therapy as an effective treatment method. The research on SAD and light therapy is inconclusive and in someways controversial, as not all researchers agree with Rosenthal's conclusions on the effect of light therapy and at what time of day the light should be administered.
Rosenthal has written three books on the topic of SAD; Seasonal Affective Disorders and Phototherapy (1989), Seasons of the Mind: Why You Get the Winter Blues and What You Can Do About It (1989) and Winter Blues (2005). As a result of his research and publications, "it is now widely acknowledged that winter depression has a sound medical basis, involving changes in the body's mood centers" associated with exposure to light. Rosenthal later identified a form of reverse SAD which some experience in the summer season.
Books
- Seasonal Affective Disorders and Phototherapy, edited with M. Blehar, New York: Guilford Press, 1989.
- Seasons of the Mind: Why You Get the Winter Blues and What You Can Do About It, New York: Bantam Books, 1989.
- How to Beat Jet Lag, co-authored with D.A.Oren, W. Reich and T.A. Wehr, New York: Henry Holt, 1993.
- Winter Blues, New York: Guilford Press, 1993.
- St. John's Wort: The Herbal Way to Feeling Good',' New York: Harper Collins, 1998.
- The Emotional Revolution: How the New Science of Feeling Can Transform Your Life, New York: Citadel, 2002.
- Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation',' New York: Tarcher/Penguin, 2011.