Effects of fluoxetine versus bright light in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 923-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. RUHRMANN ◽  
S. KASPER ◽  
B. HAWELLEK ◽  
B. MARTINEZ ◽  
G. HÖFLICH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Phase Ii ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Remission Rate ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Light Condition ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Antidepressant Effect ◽  
Hamilton Depression Scale ◽  
Light Group

Background. Disturbances of serotonergic neurotransmission appear to be particularly important for the pathophysiology of winter depression. This study investigated whether fluoxetine has antidepressant effects comparable to bright light in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder (winter type).Method. A randomized, parallel design was used with rater and patients blind to treatment conditions. One week of placebo (phase I) was followed by 5 weeks of treatment (phase II) with fluoxetine (20 mg per day) and a placebo light condition versus bright light (3000 lux, 2 h per day) and a placebo drug. There were 40 patients (20 in each treatment condition) suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) according to DSM-III-R who had a total score on the Hamilton Depression Scale of at least 16.Results. Forty patients entered phase II and 35 completed it (one drop-out in the fluoxetine group and four in the bright light group). Fourteen (70%) of the patients treated with bright light and 13 (65%) of those treated with fluoxetine were responders (NS). The remission rate in the bright light group tended to be superior (bright light 50%, fluoxetine 25%; P=0·10). Light therapy improved HDRS scores significantly faster, while fluoxetine had a faster effect on atypical symptoms. Light treatment in the morning produced a significantly faster onset of improvement, but at the end of treatment the time of light application seemed not to be crucial.Conclusion. Both treatments produced a good antidepressant effect and were well tolerated. An apparently better response to bright light requires confirmation in a larger sample.

Hypericum in the Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorders

1994 ◽  
Vol 7 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 29-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Martinez ◽  
S. Kasper ◽  
S. Ruhrmann ◽  
H.-J. Möller
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Light Condition ◽  
Light Therapy ◽  
Hamilton Depression Scale ◽  
Full Remission ◽  
Significant Difference

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) represents a subgroup of major depression with a regular occurrence of symptoms in autumn/winter and full remission in spring/summer. Light therapy (LT) has become the standard treatment of this type of depression. Apart from this, pharmacotherapy with antidepressants also seems to provide an improvement of SAD symptoms. The aim of this controlled, single-blind study was to evaluate if hypericum, a plant extract, could be beneficial in treating SAD patients and whether the combination with LT would be additionally advantageous. Patients who fulfilled DSM-III-R criteria for major depression with seasonal pattern were randomized in a 4-week treatment study with 900 mg of hypericum per day combined with either bright (3000 lux, n = 10) or dim (< 300 lux, n = 10) light condition. Light therapy was applied for 2 hours daily. We found a significant (MANOVA, P < .001) reduction of the Hamilton Depression Scale score in both groups but no significant difference between the two groups. Our data suggest that pharmacologic treatment with hypericum may be an efficient therapy in patients with seasonal affective disorder.

Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder with Light in the Evening

1985 ◽  
Vol 147 (4) ◽  
pp. 424-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven P. James ◽  
Thomas A. Wehr ◽  
David A. Sack ◽  
Barbara L. Parry ◽  
Norman E. Rosenthal
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Deprivation ◽  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Antidepressant Effect ◽  
Comparison Study ◽  
Female Patients ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
Effect Of Light

A cross-over comparison study of exposure, in the evenings only, to bright versus dim light was carried out on nine female patients with seasonal affective disorder. A significant antidepressant effect of the bright lights was shown. No consistent observable effects were produced by the dim lights. These results support earlier studies demonstrating the efficacy of bright light given morning and evening. The antidepressant effect of light is not mediated by sleep deprivation, and the early morning hours are not crucial for a response.

scholarly journals Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder in primary care

2001 ◽  
Vol 178 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha M. Wileman ◽  
John M. Eagles ◽  
Jane E. Andrew ◽  
Fiona L. Howie ◽  
Isobel M. Cameron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Affective Disorder ◽  
White Light ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Light Therapy ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Hamilton Depression Scale ◽  
Treatment Expectations

BackgroundStudies of light therapy have not been conducted previously in primary care.AimsTo evaluate light therapy in primary care.MethodFifty-seven participants with seasonal affective disorder were randomly allocated to 4 weeks of bright white or dim red light. Baseline expectations for treatment were assessed. Outcome was assessed with the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Scale, Seasonal Affective Disorder Version.ResultsBoth groups showed decreases in symptom scores of more than 40%. There were no differences in proportions of responders in either group, regardless of the remission criteria applied, with around 60% (74% white light, 57% red light) meeting broad criteria for response and 31% (30% white light, 33% red light) meeting strict criteria. There were no differences in treatment expectations.ConclusionsPrimary care patients with seasonal affective disorder improve after light therapy, but bright white light is not associated with greater improvements.

scholarly journals Bright light therapy for symptoms of anxiety and depression in focal epilepsy: randomised controlled trial

2013 ◽  
Vol 202 (5) ◽  
pp. 352-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sallie Baxendale ◽  
John O'Sullivan ◽  
Dominic Heaney
Keyword(s):  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Focal Epilepsy ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Light Therapy ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Bright Light Therapy ◽  
Low Intensity

BackgroundBright light therapy is an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder and non-seasonal depression. Depression and anxiety are common psychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy.AimsTo examine the efficacy of bright light therapy for symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults with focal epilepsy (trial registration at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01028456).MethodWe recruited 101 adults with medically intractable focal epilepsy. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at the beginning (T1) and end of a 12-week baseline period (T2) and again after 12 weeks of daily light therapy (T3), with 51 participants using a high-intensity light box and 50 using a low-intensity one. Seizure diaries were kept throughout the baseline and trial period.ResultsA total of 58 patients completed the trial. Anxiety and depression scores were significantly reduced following the light therapy at T3in both the high- and low-intensity groups.ConclusionsLight therapy resulted in a significant reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression but we did not find any differences between high- v. low-intensity treatment This may, therefore, be an effective treatment for symptoms of low mood in epilepsy at lower intensities than those typically used to treat seasonal affective disorder. Further work is needed to investigate this possibility with an adequate placebo condition.

Effects of light treatment on circadian rhythmicity in seasonal affective disorder

1992 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Partonen ◽  
B Appelberg ◽  
S Kajaste ◽  
M Partinen ◽  
M Härmä ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Light Treatment ◽  
Antidepressant Effect ◽  
Treatment Intervention ◽  
Subjective Sleepiness ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Bright Light Exposure

SummaryTwelve outpatients with seasonal affective disorder were treated by 1-h morning bright light exposure for 5 days. The light treatment intervention produced a significant phase advance of self-rated sleepiness rhythm, a significant decrease of the mean level of subjective sleepiness, and a significant reduction of depression scores. No significant objective circadian rhythm phase shift nor amplitude changes would account for the antidepressant effect.

Antidepressant-like effect of bright light is potentiated by l-serine administration in a mouse model of seasonal affective disorder

2015 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 25-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misato Kawai ◽  
Ryosei Goda ◽  
Tsuyoshi Otsuka ◽  
Ayaka Iwamoto ◽  
Nobuo Uotsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Bright Light

Will light brighten the future of the depressed patient?

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.H. Van Den Hoofdakker ◽  
M.C.M. Gordijn
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Light Treatment ◽  
Psychosocial Variable ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Treatment Experiment ◽  
History Of ◽  
Therapeutic Possibilities

The present explosive growth of interest in the therapeutic possibilities of exposure to light was triggered by a patient, Herbert Kern. He suffered from episodic depressive and manic complaints and discovered, by registering these over the years, a seasonal pattern in their occurrence. Discussions with scientists of the NIMH resulted in his participation in a bright light-treatment experiment when he was depressed in the winter of 1980-1981. He recovered.Next, the same group of investigators defined the criteria for a new syndrome, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): a history of major affective disorder (according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria), at least two consecutive years in which the depressions have occurred during fall or winter and remitted in the following spring or summer, and the absence of any clear-cut seasonally changing psychosocial variable, such as work, stress and so on.

Melatonine en stemmingsstoornissen

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-79
Author(s):  
J. Beullens
Keyword(s):  
Pineal Gland ◽  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Premenstrual Syndrome ◽  
Affective Disorders ◽  
Seasonal Affective Disorder ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Light Therapy ◽  
Melatonin Level ◽  
Melatonin Secretion ◽  
The Relationship

SummaryMelatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland mainly during the night. The discovery that this melatonin secretion decreases under the influence of bright light, gave rise to the use of light therapy in some affective disorders. The literature on the relationship between melatonin secretion and mood is reviewed concerning seasonal affective disorder, non-seasonal affective disorder and premenstrual syndrome. Light therapy could reduce an abnormal high melatonin secretion back to normal proportions. None of the affective disorders, however, is accompanied by an unusual high melatonin level. Nevertheless, light therapy as well as other therapies that suppress melatonin have a therapeutic effect. This is not the case with the administration of melatonin. Mood is not affected by extra melatonin in seasonal affective disorder but it is in both other affective disorders. Melatonin plays a part in the pathogenesis of the affective disorders but it is not yet clear which one.

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