Phototherapy and antidepressants in the treatment of depressive episode in women with borderline personality disorder
Abstract
The treatment of comorbid depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder has been reported as less effective than the therapy of patients without personality disorder. Both, affective disorders and borderline personality disorder are characterized by marked decrements in mood, often accompanied by disrupted circadian rhythms of activity, sleep and mood.
Bright light is an important time key (zeitgebers) in humans, which can repair circadian rhythms disturbances. Our open label study assessed the effect of 6-week combined therapeutic program with 6-week phototherapy (10000 lux from 6:30 to 7:30 in the morning for 6 weeks) adjunctive to previous stable 6-week administration of high dosages of SSRI in pharmaco-resistant depressive women suffering from borderline personality disorder.
Sixteen patients with major depression and borderline personality disorder determined according to the ICD-10 research diagnostic criteria and DSM-IV-TR completed this study. During the bright light therapy administration the patients significantly improved in CGI, HAMA, MADRS, BAI and BDI.
The results must be considered with caution because the trial design was open