Depression Remedy

Light Therapy for Depression

Light therapy, which is often used to treat seasonal affective disorder, may also improve depression in older adults, researchers report.

The recent study included 89 people with major depressive disorder who were at least 60 years old. The participants were randomly assigned to undergo one hour of bright light therapy or placebo (dim red light) in the early morning.

After three weeks of treatment, depression symptoms significantly improved in the light therapy group compared to the placebo group. The beneficial effects continued even after therapy was discontinued. At the three-week follow-up period, 58 percent of people in the light therapy group were classified as treatment responders because their depression symptoms improved by at least 50 percent. In contrast, 34 percent of subjects in the placebo group were considered treatment responders.

Light therapy also affected hormonal levels. Patients in the light therapy group had higher levels of melatonin. This hormone helps regulate the circadian rhythm, which is the natural daily cycle of sleep, wakefulness and other body functions. Subjects treated with light also had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Although the results are promising, additional research with a larger sample size and longer follow-up period are needed before conclusions can be made.

Light therapy has been studied for various other medical conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), jet lag, sleep disorders, dementia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Although it is unclear if light therapy is effective for these indications, it is generally considered a safe treatment that has few side effects.

For more information about light therapy, please visit Natural Standard's Health & Wellness database.

References

Lieverse R, Van Someren EJ, Nielen MM, et al. Bright light treatment in elderly patients with nonseasonal major depressive disorder: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Jan;68(1):61-70. View Abstract
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