The Journal of clinical psychiatryAug 1, 1991

Bright light may help people who don’t respond to antidepressants

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗

Updated Mar 29, 2026

Abstract

Bright light therapy resulted in substantial improvement in 7 out of 10 patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Ten patients with major depression who had not responded to antidepressants received a 2-week course of bright light therapy.
The treatment was applied during winter months, a time when symptoms may worsen.
Substantial improvement was observed in 7 patients, indicating potential effectiveness.
Bright light augmentation may offer an alternative treatment option for those resistant to standard antidepressant therapies.

Simplified

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to examine the potential benefit of the addition of bright lights to antidepressant treatment in depressed subjects.

METHOD: Ten patients who presented during the winter months with major depression and who had failed an adequate trial of antidepressants or who had relapsed following a successful course of antidepressants underwent a 2-week course of bright light therapy.

RESULTS: Augmentation with bright lights resulted in substantial improvement in 7 of the 10 patients.

CONCLUSION: Bright light augmentation may provide a useful treatment alternative for patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Bright light may help people who don’t respond to antidepressants

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