Bright light augments antidepressant effects of medication and wake therapy.
Inpatient studies have suggested that bright light therapy can be used to sustain the antidepressant effects of wake therapy (sleep deprivation). In an outpatient trial, a half night of home wake treatment was followed by 1 week of light treatment. All subjects had Major Depressive Disorders according to DSM-IV criteria and were receiving concomitant antidepressant medication. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 10,000 lux bright white light for 30 min between 6 and 9 AM or dim red (placebo) light at a comparable time. Seven subjects completed treatment with bright white light and six completed treatment with placebo. On the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS17, SIGH-SAD-SR version), the group receiving bright light improved 27% in 1 week (P=0.002). The group receiving placebo did not improve, except for one outlier. The benefit of bright light was significant compared to placebo with removal of the outlier (P<0.025).
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0667, USA. Rloving@UCSD.edu
Richard T
RT
Loving
Daniel F
DF
Kripke
Stephen R
SR
Shuchter
D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010789:Phototherapy; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000928:Antidepressive Agents