Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T04:11:14.686Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Treatment indications for light therapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2015

Extract

Light therapy (LT) has become increasingly popular in various countries around the world in the last decade. For instance, according to a recent survey carried out in Germany in 1992, 13% (n = 56) of all German psychiatric hospitals (n = 422) used LT for different treatment indications and another 8% indicated their interest to do so. Among university facilities LT is even more popular, with a percentage of 57%. Although the most frequently used treatment indication for LT is seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or its subsyndromal form (S-SAD) it is apparent that other forms of depression e.g. non-seasonal forms, either acute or chronic are also a target for this new treatment modality. There is a number of studies supporting the use of LT for SAD (for review), however there are just a few studies for non-seasonal depression or for the other treatment indications (for review).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Scandinavian College of Neuropsychopharmacology 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature

1.Kasper, S, Ruhrmann, S, Neumann, S, Möller, H-J. Use of light therapy in German psychiatric hospitals. Eur Psychiat 1994; 9: 288–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Terman, M, Terman, JS, Quitkin, FM, McGrath, PJ, Steward, JW, Rafferty, B. Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder. A review of efficacy. Neuropsychopharmacology 1989; 2: 122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Kasper, S, Ruhrmann, S, Schuchardt, H-M.The effects of light therapy in treatment indications other than seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In: Holick, MF, Jung, EG, eds. Biologic Effects of Light 1993. Berlin New York: De Gruyter, 1994: 206–18.Google Scholar
4.Rosenthal, NE, Sack, DA, Gillin, JC, Lewy, AJ, Goodwin, FK, Davenport, Y, Mueller, PS, Wehr, TA. Seasonal affective disorder; a description of the syndrome and preliminary findings with light therapy. Arch gen Psychiat 1984; 41: 7280.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Blehar, MC. Rosenthal, NE. Seasonal affective disorders and phototherapy. Report of a National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored workshop. Arch gen Psychiat 1989; 46: 469–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Meesters, Y, Lambers, PA, Jansen, JHC, Bouhuys, AL, Beersma, DGM, van den Hoofdakker, RH. Can winter depression be prevented by light treatment? J Affect Disord 1991; 23: 75–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Kantor, JS. Light as a treatment for nonseasonal depression. Am J Psychiat 1983; 140: 1262.Google ScholarPubMed
8.Schuchardt, HM, Kasper, S. Lichttherapie in der psychiatrischen Praxis. In: Peters, UH, ed. 150 Jahre DGPN (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie und Nervenheilkunde). Proceedings of Jubiläums-kongress in Köln, Germany, 26-30/9/1992, in press.Google Scholar
9.Kripke, DF, Risch, SC, Janowsky, D. Bright white light alleviates depression. Psychiat Res 1983; 10: 105–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Kripke, DF, Mullaney, DJ, Klauber, MR, Risch, SC, Gillin, JC. Controlled trial of bright light for nonseasonal major depressive disorders. Biol Psychiat 1992; 31: 119–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Mackert, A, Volz, HP, Stieglitz, RD, Müller-Oerlinghausen, B. Phototherapy in nonseasonal depression. Biol Psychiat 1991; 30: 257–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Prasko, J, Goldmann, P, Zindr, R, Zindr, V. Hastening the onset of action of tricyclic antidepressants by using white light. Cs Psychiat 1987; 83: 376–84.Google Scholar
13.Levitt, AJ, Joffe, RTJ, Kennedy, SH. Bright light augmentation in antidepressant nonresponders. J Clin Psychiat 1991; 52: 336–7.Google ScholarPubMed
14.Neumeister, A, Goessler, R, Lucht, M, Kapitany, T, Barnas, C, Kasper, S. Bright light therapy stabilizes the antidepressant effect of partial sleep deprivation. Biol Psychiat 1995; in press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Kasper Ruhrmann, S, Haase, T, Möller, H-J.Recurrent brief depression and its relationship to seaosnal affective disorders. Eur Arch Psychiat Clin Neurosci 1992; 242: 20–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar