Bright light therapy is often used to treat seasonal depressive disorder, but the results of a recent trial in JAMA Psychiatry suggest that its benefits may not extend to treatment of depressive disorders in hospitalized adolescents.

The study included more than 200 adolescents hospitalized for moderate to severe major depressive disorder in Germany. Patients were randomly assigned to receive up to 20 sessions of bright light therapy with an intensity of 10 000 lux or placebo red light with an intensity of 100 lux, in addition to usual care.

After 4 weeks of treatment, the study reported lower depression scores in both groups, with no significant difference found in the use of bright light therapy compared with placebo red light therapy.

Based on these results, the researchers concluded that future research should study bright light therapy in less intensive treatment settings and in adolescent patients with different depression severities.

Published Online: October 25, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.21825