Efficacy of Light Therapy Device LUMINETTE® in Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a world wide spread disorder. According to the World health organization, MDD affects more than 300 million people of all ages in the world. Treatments of MDD include pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy. Pharmacological treatments, mostly serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors, have a delayed onset of action, require long-term treatment and have partial efficacy. In fact, only one third of patients respond to the first antidepressant treatment and two-third after multiple trials. So, there is a need for new treatment strategy. Light therapy is a well established non pharmacological treatment of seasonal affective disorder, a clinical subtype of affective disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of depression occurring with a seasonal pattern. Patients are exposed to artificial light for a variable duration and intensity. Although the precise mechanism of bright light therapy remains unknown, it is thought to act through the eyes by activating the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the principal circadian pacemaker.