Augmentation of antidepressants with bright light therapy in patients with comorbid depression and bordeline personality disorders
Abstract
Bright light has been found to be effective in treating seasonal affective disorder, delayed sleep phase type disorder, jet lag, improved sleep-wake patterns and reduces sundowing behavior in hospitalized patients with Alzheimer#s disease. Some studies reported an antidepressant effect of bright light also in non-seasonal depression (non-SAD).
The efficacy of any treatment of comorbid depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder was been reported as less successful than the therapy of patients without personality disorder. There were no studies, which describe using the bright light therapy in patients with comorbid depression and borderline personality disorder.
The aim of our open label study is to asses the efficacy of the 6 week combined therapeutic program with adjunctive administration of the bright light therapy (10000 lux from 6:30 to 7:30 in the morning for 6 weeks) to previous stabile 6 week administration of high dosages of SSRI in a pharmaco-resistant depressive patients suffering with the comorbidity with the borderline personality disorder. Thirteen patients with major depression and borderline personality disorder according the ICD-10 research diagnostic criteria and DSM-IV-TR were participated in this study.
They were regularly assessed on the CGI, HAMD, MADRS and in self-assessments BDI and BAI. During the bright light therapy administration the patients improved in all assessment instruments.
The results must be seen with caution because the trial was open.