ArticleClocks & sleep2024
Bright Light Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder in Adolescent Outpatients: A Preliminary Study.
Article in Clocks & sleep, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Circadian realignment and depressed mood: A systematic review.Sleep medicine reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Article
- Bright Light Therapy in Psychiatric Disorders: Mechanisms, Clinical Procedures and Evidence.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The Role of Chronopsychiatry in Precision Medicine: Circadian Dysregulation as Diagnostic Marker and Therapeutic Target.Current sleep medicine reports · 2026Review
- Light therapy for bipolar disorders: Clinical recommendations from the international society for bipolar disorders (ISBD) Chronobiology and Chronotherapy Task Force.Dialogues in clinical neuroscience · 2025Review
- The Use of Phototherapy for the Treatment of Non-Seasonal Depression: A Systematic Review of Efficacy and Safety.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBright light therapy (BLT) has not been well-studied in adolescents with major depressive disorder, particularly in outpatient settings.
methodsWe conducted an 8-week clinical trial of BLT in adolescents recruited from a primary care practice with moderate to severe major depression. Acceptability and feasibility were defined by daily use of the light box and integration into daily routines. To assess treatment effects, we utilized the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) and actigraphic sleep variables.
resultsOf the nine enrolled adolescents, the rate of daily use of the light therapy box was 100% at week 2, 78% at week 4 (n = 7), and 67% at weeks 6 and 8 (n = 6). Participants were better able to integrate midday BLT compared to morning BLT into their day-to-day routines. Mean depression scores improved during the 2-week placebo lead-in (dim red light-DRL) and continued to show significant improvement through 6 weeks of BLT. Sleep efficiency increased significantly (
conclusionBright light treatment that was self-administered at home was feasible, acceptable, and effective for adolescent outpatients with depression. Findings support the development of larger, well-powered, controlled clinical trials of BLT in coordination with primary care.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.