Bright Light Therapy Proves Effective for Nonseasonal Depressionan, Shows JAMA study

• Remission rates were more prominent among patients who had undergone BLT than those who did not undergo BLT (40.7% vs 23.5%; p<0.001).

• The better response rates were also observed with BLT, wherein the overall response rates were 60.4% vs 38.6%, respectively for the non-BLT treatments (p<0.001).

• Remission rates for patients followed up in under four weeks were 27.4% in the BLT group compared to those in the control group at 9.2% ( p<0.005).

• The response rates for the same group were 55.6% in the BLT group compared to 27.4% in the control group (p < 0.001).

• At over four weeks the benefits of BLT continued to exist with remission rates at 46.6% vs 29.1% (p = 0.01).

The researchers concluded that significant enhancement of remission and response rates was seen in the use of BLT over traditional treatments like antidepressants or dim red light therapy. Indeed, it appears that intervention is linked to a quicker time to response in symptoms, particularly within the first four weeks of treatment initiation. The findings also suggest that BLT could provide an effective though safe intervention that is deserved as an adjunct in the armamentarium for the treatment of nonseasonal depression.

Reference:

Menegaz de Almeida, A., Aquino de Moraes, F. C., Cavalcanti Souza, M. E., Cavalcanti Orestes Cardoso, J. H., Tamashiro, F., Miranda, C., Fernandes, L., Kreuz, M., & Alves Kelly, F. (2024). Bright light therapy for nonseasonal depressive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry (Chicago, Ill.). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.2871