Efficacy of bright light therapy for perinatal depression - a double blind, randomised controlled study

Aim: Doubts and difficulties surrounding the current treatment methods in perinatal mental disorders cause many mothers to refrain from treatment during this period. Creating awareness about the effectiveness and safety of bright light therapy, a chronobiological treatment tool which has been shown effective in different mood disorder, will help to surmount the challenges of perinatal depression treatment. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bright light treatment versus dim light in perinatal depression patients and to identify the variables which may predict treatment response to bright light therapy. Method: Thirty subjects with perinatal depression were selected, including both pregnant patients and patients who had given birth in the previous 12 months. These patients were randomly assigned to a three-week clinical trial with either active light (10.000 lux) or a placebo (<500 lux). MADRS, HAM-D and EPDS were administered weekly to evaluate their clinical state. To evaluate the variables related to sleep and seasonality, PSQI, SPAQ, ESS, ISI scales were administered. Results: There was no significant difference between baseline depression scores (MADRS) (bright light group: 27.2 placebo group: 26.1). At the end of the three weeks, response rates were 75% for the bright light group and 9.1% for the placebo group, and the difference was found to be significant between the two groups (p=0.002). Regarding treatment-related side effects, there was no significant difference between the groups (p> 0.05). Conclusion: The results show that the bright light is superior to the placebo and is reliable in terms of side effects in perinatal depression. In order to expand and legitimize the use of bright light therapy in perinatal depression, there is a need for new studies with larger scales and standardized applications.