Circadian Light Therapy for Young People with Depression: Systematic Review
What’s the best light therapy schedule for young people with depression?
The best light therapy schedule for young people with depression is 30-45 minutes of bright morning light each day for 5-7 weeks. This routine has the strongest evidence for reducing depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults.
Morning bright light resets circadian rhythms and boosts serotonin pathways that regulate mood.
Optimal schedule:
- Duration per session: 30-45 minutes
- Time of day: early morning
- Total treatment length: 5-7 weeks
- With medication: improvement in 4-6 weeks
- Without medication: improvement in 8-9 weeks
- Effectiveness: bright light significantly outperforms dim-light controls
A systematic review and meta-analysis in Frontiers in Public Health examined 31 studies and more than 1,000 participants, finding that daily morning bright light therapy produced the most consistent symptom improvement.