Behandling av depression med ljusterapi : En systematisk litteraturöversikt. SBU:s sammanfattning och slutsatser

Over the last 20 years light therapy has been increasingly used for the treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted by the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU) to assess the scientific basis for that treatment. Papers assessed were published between 1984 and November 2006, indexed in the PubMed database and included adult patients (>18 years) with SAD or major depression (MD). The search generated 11 RCTs that fulfilled set criteria. The efficacy of light therapy in SAD was assessed with meta-analysis. There was no difference in response rate between those given active treatment and those given placebo in any of the studies on light therapy for SAD. The effect on remission rate differed between studies. The meta-analysis showed a weak and only transient effect (effect size 0.4) which was noticeable after two and three weeks of treatment, but not later. Studies on light therapy for non-seasonal depression were few and heterogeneous with respect to type of depression and patient population. No conclusions on efficacy of light therapy could be drawn.