Bright light therapy versus physical exercise to prevent co-occurring depression in adolescents and young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a multicentre, three-arm, randomised controlled, pilot phase-IIa trial

AbstractDepression is common in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but preventive behavioural interventions are lacking. This randomised controlled, pilot phase-IIa trial aimed to study a physical exercise intervention (EI) and bright light therapy (BLT) —both implemented and monitored in an individual, naturalistic setting via a mobile health (m-health) system—for feasibility of trial design and interventions, and to estimate their effects on depressive symptoms in young people with ADHD. Two hundred seven participants aged 14–45 years were randomised to 10-week add-on intervention of either BLT (10,000 lx; daily 30-min sessions) (n = 70), EI (aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities 3 days/ week) (n = 69), or treatment-as-usual (TAU) (n = 68), of whom 165 (80%) were retained (BLT:n = 54; EI:n = 52; TAU:n = 59). Intervention adherence (i.e. ≥ 80% completed sessions) was very low for both BLT (n = 13, 22%) and EI (n = 4, 7%). Usability of the m-health system to conduct interventions was limited as indicated by objective and subjective data. Safety was high and comparable between groups. Changes in depressive symptoms (assessed via observer-blind ratings, Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology) between base line and end of intervention were small (BLT: −0.124 [95% CI: −2.219, 1.971], EI: −2.646 [95% CI: −4.777, −0.515], TAU: −1.428 [95% CI: −3.381, 0.526]) with no group differences [F(2,153)  = 1.4...
Source: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research