Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T21:27:47.912Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Use of light therapy in German psychiatric hospitals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

S Kasper ,
S Ruhrmann ,
S Neumann  and
HJ Möller
S Kasper
Affiliation:
University Hospital for Psychiatry, Dept of General Psychiatry, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, A-1090Vienna, Austria
S Ruhrmann
Affiliation:
Psychiatric Department of the University of Bonn, Germany
S Neumann
Affiliation:
Psychiatric Department of the University of Bonn, Germany
HJ Möller
Affiliation:
Psychiatric Department of the University of Bonn, Germany
Get access

Summary

In order to determine the usage pattern of light therapy (LT), we performed a survey of all psychiatric hospitals in Germany in 1992. Our data reveal that 13% of all psychiatric hospitals perform LT and another 7% indicate their interest in this treatment. Stratification into different treatment facilities demonstrates that 57% of the psychiatric university hospitals use LT. The usage of LT started in Germany in 1982 and there was a sharp rise from 1987 onwards. The majority of hospitals (89% of those hospitals which use LT) use LT successfully for the treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and its subsyndromal form followed by non-SAD depression (68%). LT is used as monotherapy in 71% of SAD patients compared with 34% in non-SAD depression.

Keywords

light therapyseasonal affective disordersubsyndromal seasonal affective disorderdepressionsurvey
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 9 , Issue 6 , 1994 , pp. 288 - 292
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, MEGood Clinical Practice (GCP) in Europe: Investigators Handbook Romford: Rostrum Publications, 1991Google Scholar
Urainard, GWaxier, MConsensus statements on the safety anil effectiveness of light therapy of depression and disorders of biological rhythms Light Treat Biol Rhythms 1991;3(4):45–50Google Scholar
Czeisler, CAAllan, JSAcute circadian phase reversal in man via bright light exposure: application to jet lag Sleep Res 1987;18:605Google Scholar
Deutsches Krankenhaus Adressbuch Freiburg: Rombach Gmbh & Co, 1992Google Scholar
Dietzel, ASaletu, BVeit, IBirsak, LBach, MGruber, UMarx, BBiologisch aktives Licht - eine wirksame Therapie im schweren AlkoholentzugIn: Pflug, BLemmer, B eds. Chronobiologie und Chronopharmakologie Stuttgart, New York: Gustav Fischer Verlag, 1989;99–114Google Scholar
Eastman, CJSquashing vs nudging circadian rhythms with artificial bright light: Solution for shift work? Perspec Biol Med 1991;34: 181-93CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eastman, CJLahmeyer, HWWatell, LGGood, GDYoung, MA A placebo-controlled trial of light treatment for winter depression. J Affect Disord 1992:211-22CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garvey, MJWiesner, RCodes, MComparison of seasonal and non seasonal affective disorders Am J Psychiatry 1988; 145:100-2Google Scholar
Helm, MBright Light-Therapie bei schizophrenen Erkrankungen Psychiatr Neurol Med Psychol 1990;42: 146-30Google Scholar
Isaacs, GStainer, DSSensky, TGMoor, SThompson, CPhototherapy and its mechanism of action in seasonal affective disorder J Affect Disord 1988;14: 13-9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kasper, SWehr, TARosenthal, NESaisonal ahhängige Depressiousformen (SAD). I. Grundlagen und klinische Beschreibung des Syndroms. II. Beeinflussung durch Phototherapie und biologische Ergebnisse Nervenarzt 1988;39: 191–214Google Scholar
Kasper, SRogers, SLVYancey, RNSchulz, PMSkwerer, RGRosenthal, NEPhototherapy in individuals with and without subsyndromal seasonal affective disorders Arch Gen Psychiatry 1989;46:837-44Google Scholar
Kasper, SKamo, TSeasonality in major depressed patients J Affect Disord 1990;19: 243-8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasper, SPeters, SMeienberg, PWicharz, GPastoors, LZinner. Erfahrungen mit einer Spezialambulanz für saisonal ahhängige Depressionen (SAD) und Phototherapie Zentrl Neurol Psychiatr 1990:255:218-9Google Scholar
Kasper, SRuhrmann, SHasse, TMüller, HJRecurrent brief depression and its relationship to seasonal affective disorder Eur Arch Psychiatr Clin Neurosci 1992a;242:20-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasper, SRuhrmann, SMöller, HJLight therapy in (West) Germany Light Treat Biol Rhythms 1992b;5:20-4Google Scholar
Kasper, SRuhrmann, SPeters, SHöflich, GDanos, PHawallek, PMöller, HJ Saisonal abhängige Depression (SAD) und der therapeutische Effekt der Liehttherapie - Ergebnisse einer deutschen Strichprobe. In: Peters, UH ed. Jubiliäumsband, 150 Jahre DGPN 1994 (in press)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Köhler, WPflug, BLichttherapie depressiver ErkrankungengIn: Pflug, BLemmer, B eds. Chronobiologie und Chronopharmakologie, Antidepressiva - Schlafenlzug - Licht Stuttgart New York: Fischer Verlag, 1989:81–98Google Scholar
Kripke, DFMullaney, DJKlauber, MRRisch, SCGillin, JCControlled trial of bright light for nonseasonal major depressive disorders Biol Psychiatry 1992;31: 119-34CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levitt, AJJoffe, RTJKennedy, SHBright light augmentation in antidepressant nonresponders J Clin Psychiatry 1991;52: 336-7Google ScholarPubMed
Lewy, AJKern, MARosenthal, NEWehr, TABright artificial light treatment of a manic-depressive patient with a seasonal mood cycle Am J Psychiatry 1982;139: 1496-8Google ScholarPubMed
Mackert, AVolz, HPStieglitz, RDMüller-Oerlinghausen, BPhototherapy in nonseasonal depression Biol Psychiatry 1991;30: 257-68CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meesters, YLambers, PAJansen, JHBouhuys, ALBeersma, DGvan den Hoofdakker, RHCan winter depression be prevented by light treatment J Affect Discord 1991;23:75-9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oren, DAShannon, NJCarpenter, CJRosenthal, NEUsage patterns of phototherapy in seasonal affective disorder Compr Psychiatry 1991;32: 147-52CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oren, DARosenthal, NESeasonal affective disordersIn: Paykel, ES ed. Handbook of Affective Disorders 2nd edition. Edinburgh London: Churchill Livingstone, 1992;551-68Google Scholar
Parry, BLBerga, SLMostofi, NSependa, PAKripke, DPGillin, JCMorning versus evening bright light treatment of late luteal phase dysphoric disorder Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:1215-7Google ScholarPubMed
Prasko, JGoldmann, PPraskova, HZindr, VHastened onset of the effect of antidepressive drug when using three types of timing of intensive while light CS Psychiatry 1988;84: 373-83Google Scholar
Remé, CESafety of light therapy devices Light Treat Biol Rhythms 1991;3(2):18-9Google Scholar
Rosenthal, NESack, DAGillin, Jet al. Seasonal affective disorder: A description of Ihe syndrome and preliminary findings with light therapy Arch Gen Psychiatry 1984;41: 72–80CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenlhal, NECameron, CLJohnston, Set al. Delayed sleep phase syndrome: Clinical picture and treatment with light In: Racagni, Brunello, NFukuda, T eds. Biological Psychiatry, Vol 1. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers, 1991;787-90Google Scholar
Rosenthal, NEWehr, TATowards understanding the mechanism of action of light in seasonal affective disorder Pharmacopsychiatry 1992;25: 56–60CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruhrmann, SKasper, SHawallek, Bet al. Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors for treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) Clin Neuropharmacol 1992; 15 (Suppl 1, Pt B), 341BCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schuchardt, MMKasper, S Lichttherapie in der psychiatrischen Praxis. In: Peters, UH ed. Jubiläumsband, 150 Jahre DGPN 1994 (in press)Google Scholar
Terman, MTerman, JSQuitikin, FMMcGrath, PJStewart, JWRaficty, BLight therapy of seasonal affective disorder Neuropsychopharmacology 1989;2: 1–22CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Terman, MTerman, JSQuitikin, FMet al. Bright light therapy for winter depression: potential ocular effects and theoretical implications Photochem Photobiol 1990;25: 966-70Google Scholar
Waxler, MCole, RThe safety of light therapy devices Light Treat Biol Rhythms 1990;3(1):7–9Google Scholar
Wirz-Justice, ABucheli, BGraw, PKielholz, PFisch, MUWoggon, BLight treatment of seasonal affective disorder in Switzerland Acta Psychiatr Scand 1986;74: 193–204CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.