Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Dark therapy for mania: a pilot study.

Barbara Barbini1, Francesco Benedetti, Cristina Colombo

  • 1Department of Neuropsychiatric Sciences, Istituto Scientifico Universitario Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.

Bipolar Disorders
|January 19, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Insulin Resistance as a Mediator of Suicide Risk in Bipolar Disorder: A Neurobiological and Imaging Study.

Bipolar disorders·2026
Same author

Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation in Older Inpatients with Depression: A Real-World Comparison of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Depressive Symptoms and Functional Recovery.

Biomedicines·2026
Same author

Preliminary evidence that blood extracellular nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase increases with antidepressant response to chronotherapeutics and to monoaminergic drugs.

International clinical psychopharmacology·2026
Same author

Chronotherapy shortens hospitalization for bipolar depression: a single-center replication across three decades (1994-2024).

Psychiatry research·2026
Same author

Fast-acting approaches for treatment-resistant depression: real-world comparative effectiveness of Intranasal Esketamine versus accelerated rTMS.

International journal of psychiatry in clinical practice·2026
Same author

Shift to the core: Abnormal core-periphery global topography in unipolar and bipolar depression.

Journal of affective disorders·2026
Same journal

Correction to [A High-Accuracy and Easy-Use Differential Diagnosis Method of Bipolar Disorder Depressive Phase and Major Depressive Disorder Using a Wearable Near-Infrared Spectroscopy].

Bipolar disorders·2026
Same journal

Turning Phenomenology Into Dual-Diagnosis Care for Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar disorders·2026
Same journal

Time Trends in Excess Mortality Among Individuals With Bipolar Disorder in Finland, 2000-2023: A Nationwide Register Study.

Bipolar disorders·2026
Same journal

Epigenetic Age Accelerations and the Clinical Presentation of Bipolar Disorders: A Latent Profile Analysis in the FACE-BD Sample.

Bipolar disorders·2026
Same journal

Risk of Major Malformations Following First-Trimester Exposure to Cariprazine: Preliminary Data From the MGH National Pregnancy Registry for Psychiatric Medications.

Bipolar disorders·2026
Same journal

The Theory of Metabolic Jet Lag in Bipolar Disorder: A Pilot Feasibility Study Exploring the Association Between Eating Rhythm Disruption and Illness Burden Parameters.

Bipolar disorders·2026
See all related articles

Dark therapy (DT), a chronobiological intervention, significantly improved mania symptoms in bipolar patients when initiated early. This treatment may reduce medication needs and hospital stays for early-stage manic episodes.

Area of Science:

  • Chronobiology
  • Psychiatry
  • Bipolar Disorder Research

Background:

  • Bipolar disorder is characterized by mood swings.
  • Rapid cycling bipolar patients may benefit from environmental interventions.
  • Extended bed rest and darkness show potential for mood stabilization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of dark therapy (DT) as an add-on treatment for acute mania.
  • To compare DT combined with therapy as usual (TAU) against TAU alone.
  • To assess the impact of DT on mood changes and treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • 16 bipolar inpatients with manic episodes received 14 hours of nightly enforced darkness for three days (DT).
  • Mood changes were assessed using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS).

Related Experiment Videos

  • A control group of 16 matched inpatients received TAU.

    • Main Results:

    • DT combined with TAU led to a faster decrease in YMRS scores for manic episodes within two weeks of onset.
    • DT showed no significant effect on mania when the episode duration exceeded two weeks.
    • Early responders to DT required lower antimanic drug doses and had shorter hospitalizations.

    Conclusions:

    • Chronobiological interventions, such as DT, can be a valuable addition to acute mania treatment in hospitals.
    • Controlling environmental stimuli is a promising strategy for managing manic episodes.
    • Early intervention with DT may optimize treatment outcomes for bipolar mania.