Can Light Therapy Treat Adult ADHD?
A new research study was just released which tested light therapy on adults with ADHD. It was done at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, and is the first study to examine light therapy as an add on treatment for adult ADHD.
Light therapy involves using a bright light, developed for medical use. It is a full-spectrum fluorescent light box that filters out
ultraviolet wavelengths. In this study, the participants used the bright light for 30 minutes each morning.
Why even consider light therapy for adult ADHD?
Light therapy is a proven treatment for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). SAD refers to individuals who have seasonal depression - generally in the fall and winter when the days are shorter and they are exposed to less sunlight.
While adults with ADHD tend to have higher rates of depression, many of them also have a delayed sleep/activity rhythm. This study looked at whether light therapy could help with their depression symptoms and even their ADHD symptoms.
This study showed that in ADHD adults treated with light therapy:
- 55% had less depression symptoms
- approximately 28% of had a full or partial improvement in
attention deficit symptoms, measured with both questionnaires and actual
laboratory-based tasks
Which ADHD symptoms improved?
The light therapy helped these core symptoms of ADHD:
- inattention
- difficulty sustaining effort
- impulsive responding to stimuli
- hypo-arousal/fatigue
Strikingly, the strongest predictor of improvement in ADHD symptoms from light therapy came from a change in circadian activity rhythms rather than decreasing
the symptoms of SAD that are often experienced by adults with ADHD.
Does this mean that if you have adult ADHD that you should start light therapy this fall or winter?
Not necessarily. While this is a promising and fascinating study, more research is needed.
This study does suggest that if you have seasonal depression with adult ADHD, you may be the perfect candidate for light therapy this winter. Talk to your doctor and review your options.
To read more details of the study, visit here.
Consider printing this article and taking it with you to the doctor to discuss.
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Written by Dr. Kenny Handelman - The ADHD Doctor
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