Research progress on the application of light therapy in patients with bipolar depression
Journal Title: Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases - Year 2024, Vol 50, Issue 4
Abstract
Existing antidepressant treatments are generally suboptimal for patients with bipolar disorder (BD). Several studies have explored the efficacy of light therapy (LT) in patients with bipolar depression, along with investigating parameters, devices, and safety aspects of LT. This paper provides a review of these aspects. Numerous meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials have indicated that LT could significantly improve depressive symptoms in BD patients, with both low and high intensity white light having this effect, while the antidepressant effect of blue light remains unclear. LT takes effect rapidly, preferably in the morning, with each session lasting between 30 to 60 minutes, but there is no consensus on the most beneficial LT course for BD patients. The most commonly used device for LT is a lightbox. However further exploration is need regarding the safety of LT glasses. When LT devices that meet safety standards is selected, the overall safety of LT will be high and risk of manic or hypomanic switch will be low for BD patients. In conclusion, LT holds promise for patients with bipolar depression, and further research on LT for BD patients should be conducted to explore LT strategies and develop LT prescriptions.
Authors and Affiliations
Tao LIU, Xu DAI, Hebin HUANG, Ningning CHEN, Xinhe TIAN, Wenjing ZHENG, Weicong LU, Guiyun XU, Kwok-fai SO, Kangguang. LIN
Keywords
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- EP ID EP750484
- DOI 10.3969/j.issn.1002-0152.2024.04.011
- Views 45
- Downloads 0
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