Sustained remission from perinatal depression after bright light therapy: a pilot randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Garbazza, Corrado; Cirignotta, Fabio; D'Agostino, Armando; Cicolin, Alessandro; Hackethal, Sandra; Wirz-Justice, Anna; Cajochen, Christian; Manconi, Mauro (2022). Sustained remission from perinatal depression after bright light therapy: a pilot randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica, 146(4), pp. 350-356. Wiley-Blackwell 10.1111/acps.13482

[img]
Preview
Text
Acta_Psychiatr_Scand_-_2022_-_Garbazza_-_Sustained_remission_from_perinatal_depression_after_bright_light_therapy_a_pilot.pdf - Accepted Version
Available under License Publisher holds Copyright.

Download (606kB) | Preview

OBJECTIVE

Perinatal depression (PND) is a severe complication of pregnancy, affecting both mothers and newborns. Bright light therapy (BLT) has only been tested in a few studies for treating either antenatal or postnatal depression. We conducted a pilot trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of BLT for PND occurring at any time across the perinatal period.

METHODS

A single-blind RCT was carried out in women with an EPDS >12 from the 2nd gestational trimester until 9 months postpartum. Participants received either 30-minutes morning BLT (10'000 lux) or dim red light (DRL, 19 lux) for 6 weeks.

RESULTS

Twenty-two women were randomised to BLT (n = 11) or DRL (n = 11). Among those receiving BLT, 73% achieved remission (improvement ≥50%, EPDS score ≤ 12), in contrast to 27% in the DRL group (p = 0.04). A significant influence of time on EPDS score and group-time interaction emerged, with a greater reduction in the BLT-group across the follow-up period. No women in either group reported major side effects.

CONCLUSION

Morning BLT induced a significant remission from PND as compared to DRL and this effect was maintained across the perinatal period. BLT showed an excellent safety profile and was well-tolerated, thus representing a valid therapeutic strategy in this vulnerable perinatal population.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Head Organs and Neurology (DKNS) > Clinic of Neurology

UniBE Contributor:

Manconi, Mauro

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0001-690X

Publisher:

Wiley-Blackwell

Language:

English

Submitter:

Pubmed Import

Date Deposited:

27 Jul 2022 10:08

Last Modified:

26 Jul 2023 00:25

Publisher DOI:

10.1111/acps.13482

PubMed ID:

35876837

Uncontrolled Keywords:

light therapy postpartum depression pregnancy

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/171529

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/171529

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback