Adjunctive Bright Light Therapy for Non-Seasonal Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

I-Peng Chen, Chun-Chao Huang, Hui-Chun Huang, Fan-Pei Gloria Yang, Kai-Ting Ko, Yun-Tse Lee, Fang-Ju Sun and Shen-Ing Liu ()
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I-Peng Chen: Department of Psychiatry, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 104217, Taiwan
Chun-Chao Huang: Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City 252005, Taiwan
Hui-Chun Huang: MacKay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Taipei 112021, Taiwan
Fan-Pei Gloria Yang: Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
Kai-Ting Ko: Department of Psychiatry, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 104217, Taiwan
Yun-Tse Lee: Department of Psychiatry, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 104217, Taiwan
Fang-Ju Sun: MacKay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Taipei 112021, Taiwan
Shen-Ing Liu: Department of Psychiatry, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 104217, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: This double-blind, randomized controlled trial assessed bright light therapy (BLT) augmentation efficacy compared with placebo light in treating non-seasonal major depressive disorder. The study participants belonged to a subtropical area (24.5°–25.5°N) with extensive daylight and included outpatients who had received stable dosages and various regimens of antidepressive agents for 4 weeks before enrollment. The outcomes were the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, which were assessed at weeks 1, 2, and 4. A total of 43 participants (mean age 45 years, ranging from 22–81) were randomized into the BLT [ n = 22] and placebo light groups [ n = 21]. After a 4-week administration of morning light therapy (30 min/day), depressive symptoms did not reduce significantly, which might be due to the small sample size. Nonetheless, this study had some strengths because it was conducted in warmer climates, unlike other studies, and examined diverse Asians with depression. Our findings suggest that several factors, such as poor drug response, different antidepressive regimens, duration of BLT, and daylength variability (i.e., natural daylight in the environment) may influence the utility of add-on BLT. Researchers may consider these important factors for future non-seasonal depression studies in subtropical environments.

Keywords: light therapy; light treatment; depression; major depressive disorder (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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