Light Therapy for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: A Circadian Medicine Approach

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating whether light therapy can reduce symptoms in young adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who have late bedtimes, specifically 1am or later. The study aims to understand if light therapy helps in reducing OCD symptoms and if it can advance the body's internal clock, known as the circadian clock. The trial compares a higher dose of light therapy to a lower dose to see if the amount of light affects symptom improvement. Participants will use wearable light therapy glasses that emit either a higher or lower intensity of light. They will wear these glasses for one hour each morning after waking up, continuing this routine for five weeks. The study groups include those receiving a higher light dose and those receiving a lower, sham dose. Additional assessments include a one-time test of sensitivity to light exposure. During the study, participants will track their sleep daily using a wearable monitor and an electronic sleep diary over five weeks. They will complete self-reported OCD symptom measures four times a day during specific periods: two weeks before treatment, one week mid-treatment, and one week at the end of treatment. Researchers will measure outcomes using the Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and daily perseverative thinking questionnaires, along with circadian melatonin levels at the start and end of the treatment period. The total study duration with assessments spans about seven weeks.

Light Therapy for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)