Light Therapy for Bipolar Disorder

Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has been studied for some time now. Usually it comes to mind with the onset of depression in winter. But more applications have been coming to the forefront. Recently, a post on Psych Central had information about sleep and cognition improving with light therapy after brain injury. Now a researcher at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) in Pittsburgh is looking further into using light therapy to treat bipolar disorder. Also known as “bright light therapy” or “phototherapy,” light therapy treats SAD by exposure to artificial light, which mimics natural light lacking during late fall and winter. According to an article by Reuters Health, “[R]esearch suggests that bright light can affect levels of certain brain chemicals, like serotonin, thought to be involved in major depression. Light therapy also seems to zero in on the same brain structures that antidepressants target.” Others across the web have argued that a certain type of blue light is optimally effective for depressive conditions. Both John Hopkins Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic caution that light boxes may arouse manic symptoms if used without supervision, but both prestigious centers nod to Dr. Dorothy Sit’s research as the noted study. Sit is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh. At WPIC, that latest research is being set up to examine “adult men and women with bipolar dis...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Antidepressants Atypical Antipsychotics Bipolar Clinical Trials Depression Disorders General Medications Mood Stabilizers Psychology Adult Men Bipolar Depression Brain Chemicals Brain Structures Hopkins Medical Center John Ho Source Type: news