(HealthDay News) — Bright light therapy (BLT) is an effective adjunctive treatment for nonseasonal depressive disorder, according to a review published online Oct. 2 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Artur Menegaz de Almeida, from the Federal University of Mato Grosso in Sinop, Brazil, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of BLT as an adjunctive treatment for nonseasonal depressive disorders. Eleven unique trials were included, with data from 858 patients (75.6% females).
The researchers found that the BLT group had significantly better remission and response rates (remission: 40.7 versus 23.5% [odds ratio, 2.42]; response: 60.4 versus 38.6% [odds ratio, 2.34]). Subgroup analysis based on follow-up times also showed better remission and response with BLT (remission: less than four weeks, 27.4 versus 9.2 [odds ratio, 3.59]; more than four weeks, 46.6 versus 29.1% [odds ratio, 2.18]; response: less than four weeks, 55.6 versus 27.4% [odds ratio, 3.65]; more than four weeks, 63.0 versus 44.9% [odds ratio, 1.79]).
“Our study results suggest that BLT offers significant benefits as an adjunctive treatment for these conditions,” the authors write. “In addition, different follow-up times assessed in the subgroup analysis suggest that BLT not only increases remission and response rates but also accelerates the time to respond to initial treatment.”
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