Antidepressant light therapy for bipolar patients: A meta-analyses.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Light Therapy (LT) as a non-pharmacological treatment for bipolar depression, particularly in non-seasonal patterns.
Results Summary
The study found a significant positive effect of LT in treating bipolar depression across all included studies, with a notable effect size in both RCTs and non-RCTs. The results were statistically significant (p<0.001), though heterogeneity was high among non-RCTs.
Population
195 patients affected by bipolar depression.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Light Therapy (LT) | decrease | depression | patients affected by bipolar depression | ESs: -1.46, 95% CI:-1.677 to -1.242; p<0.001 | positive effect | #1 |
Light Therapy (LT) | decrease | depression | patients affected by bipolar depression | ESs: -0.501, 95% CI: - 0.777 to -0.225; p<0.001 | significant effect | #2 |
Light Therapy (LT) | decrease | bipolar depression | - | - | efficacy | #3 |
BACKGROUNDS: Bipolar depression is still a very difficult to treat condition with low success rates of antidepressant drugs, high rates of morbidity and suicide risk and antidepressant-emergent mania risk. Despite a growing body of evidence has been generated over the last decade about Light Therapy (LT) as an effective treatment for depression the management of it continues to be a point of debate for Bipolar Disorder especially when considering non-seasonal pattern. METHODS: We systematically screened current literature using the PubMed electronic platform. We considered "mood disorder", "depression" and "light therapy" as keywords for the search. RESULTS: We retrieved 1907 papers. After the screening, we selected 11 papers to be included in the analysis, treating 195 patients affected by bipolar depression. 5 studies were RCT studies. The overall analysis, including non-RCTs, showed a positive effect of the treatment in all the included studies (ESs: -1.46, 95% CI:-1.677 to -1.242; p<0.001). A significant effect of LT compared to placebo was found also in RCTs (ESs: -0.501, 95% CI: - 0.777 to -0.225; p<0.001). LIMITATIONS: A high heterogeneity between the studies was found when including non-RCTs and the number of RCTs was small CONCLUSION: We confirmed the -efficacy of LT as antidepressant non-pharmacological therapy also in bipolar depression.