Patient Attitudes About Light Therapy and Negative Ion Therapy for Nonseasonal Depression: An Online Survey Study

No studies have evaluated the feasibility of light therapy or negative ion therapy as maintenance treatments after acute antidepressant treatment in major depressive disorder. To address this gap, we surveyed people with depression about their knowledge and attitudes about light therapy and negative ion therapy, and their willingness to participate in a clinical trial of maintenance treatment with these therapies.

Participants with a self-reported diagnosis of depression completed a researcher-generated online survey, created for this study, examining awareness and effectiveness of light therapy and negative ion therapy, which included vignettes describing the use of these therapies for maintenance treatment. Participants were asked about the feasibility and reasons for wanting (and not wanting) to use the therapies instead of antidepressants. Response frequencies were compared using chi-square tests.

A total of 193 participants completed the survey. Most were aware of both therapies, but significantly more participants had heard of light therapy (95% versus 63% for negative ion therapy, p<0.001), had used light therapy (29% versus 17%, p<0.001), and regarded light therapy as effective (54% versus 37%, p<0.001). Both therapies were considered easy to use. Most participants (81%) placed importance on finding non-medication therapies for maintenance treatment; 77% responded that they would likely volunteer for a randomized study of maintenance treatment.

People with depression are aware of light therapy and negative ion therapy and support their usage as substitutes for antidepressants in maintenance treatment. This supports the importance and feasibility of a randomized relapse prevention trial with light therapy and negative ion therapy in people with depression.