Light therapy effective for depression

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/uobc-lte111615.php

Public Release: 18-Nov-2015
Light therapy effective for depression: UBC study
University of British Columbia

New research finds that light therapy can treat non-seasonal depression and improve the overall wellbeing of people suffering from the disease.

"These results are very exciting because light therapy is inexpensive, easy to access and use, and comes with few side effects," said Dr. Raymond Lam, a UBC professor and psychiatrist at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, a partnership between UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health. "Patients can easily use light therapy along with other treatments such as antidepressants and psychotherapy."

The research, published today in JAMA Psychiatry, is the first placebo-controlled trial that shows that light therapy is an effective treatment for depression that is not brought on by seasonal affective disorder.

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