Sustaining Remission in Late-Life Depression with Bright Light Therapy

Both the Psychological Medicine study, presented by Professor Ajilore, on and the JAMA Psychiatry article on Bright Light Therapy (BLT) address the challenges that late-life depression (LLD) present in not just older adults, but all those who struggle with depression. The study present by Professor Ajilore found that 44% of participants that showed remission in LLD relapsed within two years despite ongoing treatment. This highlights how fragile someone's state of remission can be. Similarly, the JAMA article underscores the limitations of current therapies and treatments and the need for better treatments by showing how BLT significantly improves remission to 40.7% and response rates to 60.4% among people with nonseasonal depression. Together, these studies emphasize the importance of looking into more sustainable and effective strategies to reduce relapse and improve long-term outcomes. 

Residual symptoms like fatigue and diminished executive function emerged as key predictors in the Psychological Medicine study, even among people that were technically in remission. These symptoms show the need for better non-pharmaceutical interventions that can support sustained recovery without increasing the burden of side effects. BLT as described in the JAMA article, offers a very promising approach relating to this issue. It demonstrated efficacy in reducing core depressive symptoms, and, because it's non-invasive, it may be more beneficial to for patients with high relapse risk. This aligns with the Psychological Medicine study's call to attention for more holistic treatment models beyond symptom suppression. 

When taking both sources into account, the findings supports a change toward more personalized treatment approaches for LLD. The Psychological Medicine study highlights the importance of identifying phenotypic predictors of relapse (like low instrumental social support, higher stress, and greater resistance to antidepressants) as a way to analyse the risk and improve care. Meanwhile, the JAMA Psychiatry article presents BLT as a low-risk, accessible intervention that could be integrated into many individualized treatment plans, especially for people whose symptom profile show them to be ideal candidates for this therapy. Both of these sources off insight on these issues and possible solutions, and point us toward the work left to be done in order to create a society where clinical prediction tools and non-traditional therapies work together to improve remission stability and reduce the long-term impact of depression.  

References

Taylor, W. D., Butters, M. A., Elson, D., Szymkowicz, S. M., Jennette, K., Baker, K., Renfro, B., Georgaras, A., Krafty, R., Andreescu, C., & Ajilore, O. (2025). Reconsidering remission in recurrent late-life depression: Clinical presentation and phenotypic predictors of relapse following successful antidepressant treatment. Psychological Medicine, 54(15), 4896–4907. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291724003246

Zhou, X., Qin, Y., Teng, T., Xie, P., & Del Giovane, C. (2024). Bright light therapy for nonseasonal depressive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 81(12), 1193–1203. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.2921