A critical overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of light therapy for non-seasonal depression. (August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dong, Chengda; Shi, Hongshuo; Liu, Pulin; Si, Guomin; Yan, Zhaojun
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry research. Volume 314(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-08
• Subjects: Non-pharmacologic psychiatric treatments -- Phototherapy -- Behavioral symptoms -- Mood disorder -- Meta-analysis as topic; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- periodicals; Psychiatrie -- Périodiques; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114686
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0165-1781

Abstract

Hightlights: Light therapy has increasingly been used in the treatment of non-seasonal depression. The quality of existing systematic review/meta-analy reviews is not satisfactory. Methodological and evidence quality assessment is performed using professional tools. Abstract: Light therapy has increasingly been used in relieving non-seasonal depression. We aimed to summarize the evidence and evaluate the methodological quality regarding the effectiveness and safety of light therapy for non-seasonal depression from systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SRs/MAs). In this study, five databases were searched from their inceptions to January 24, 2022. SRs/MAs on light therapy treatment for non-seasonal depression were included. Methodological quality assessment was performed using the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2), and evidence quality assessment was performed using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Six SRs/MAs on light therapy treatment for non-seasonal depression were included. The AMSTAR-2 showed that the methodological level of five included SRs/MAs were evaluated as critically low quality, and one included SRs/MAs were rated as low quality. According to the evaluation results of GRADE, the quality of evidence was mostly unsatisfactory. The results and descriptions in the included SRs/MAs suggest that light therapy is effective as a non-pharmacological intervention for the treatment of non-seasonal depression. However, the generally unsatisfied evidence quality and methodological quality of the SRs/Mas indicate that these results must be interpreted with caution.