Bright Light Therapy for Adolescent Depression

Bright Light Therapy Participants allocated to receive Bright Light Therapy will be given basic (age appropriate) information (designed for this study) regarding sleep and the circadian rhythm. Treatment will involve individualised behavioural instructions, including how and when to use the Re-timer glasses and when to avoid bright light in the evening. The participants will be instructed to wear Re-Timer bright light glasses for between 30-60 minutes daily, for three weeks total. Behavioural instructions will differ for each participant, depending on the severity of sleep timing delay and desired bed and wake up times. Wake up times will be advanced by half an hour each morning until a wake up time of 6am is achieved (bright light therapy treatment sessions 1 and 2). Any issues that arise, regarding treatment implementation (e.g., social obligations conflicting with treatment etc.), can be discussed with the psychologist in bright light therapy treatment sessions 2 and 3. Once this desired wake up time is achieved, a period of consolidation will occur, where the participant maintains a consistent sleep schedule (e.g., set bed times and wake up times), whilst still using the bright light glasses (bright light therapy treatment session 2 and 3), and relapse prevention instructions will be provided (bright light therapy treatment session 3). Brief Behavioural Activation for Adolescent Depression Brief behavioural activation (Brief BA) for adolescent depression is a low-intensity, brief, structured behavioural intervention that can be delivered by a range of healthcare professionals (Pass, Lejuez & Reynolds, 2017). Brief BA is delivered over 8 1-hour sessions across 6 weeks (separate from bright light therapy sessions, yet commencing immediately after completion of the 3 week bright light therapy intervention/ sleep monitoring). Psychologists work with adolescents and their parent, following a structured workbook. Brief BA involves identifying how young people spend their time (activity monitoring) and what matters most to them (i.e., their values). This information is then used to schedule valued activities into the young person’s daily life, to increase rewarding experiences. Adolescents will complete an activity log out of session (approx. 10 mins daily, returned in session) and will complete valued activities (duration will vary per participant). Participants will be randomly allocated to receive either bright light therapy plus brief behavioural activation or brief behavioural activation alone. Whilst participants in the bright light therapy (BLT) group receive undergo BLT (3 weeks), participants in the brief behavioural activation alone group will monitor their sleep. Treatment will be delivered online via videoconferencing.