Light Therapy for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: A Circadian Medicine Approach
Washington University School of Medicine
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether light therapy is effective for reducing symptoms in young adults with OCD and late bedtimes (1am or later). The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: Does light therapy reduce OCD symptoms? Does light therapy advance the circadian clock? If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare a higher dose of light therapy to a lower dose to see if dose amount affects symptom reduction. Participants will asked to: 1. Wear light therapy glasses for 1 hour each morning and complete a daily light therapy log for 5 weeks 2. Track their sleep every day with a wearable monitor and an electronic sleep diary for 5 weeks 3. Complete a 1-time assessment of sensitivity to light exposure 4. Complete self-report measures of OCD 4 times/day at baseline (2 weeks), mid-treatment (1 week), and end of treatment (1 week)
Eligibility
- Age range
- 17–35 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Primary DSM-5 OCD diagnosis 2. Bedtime 0100 or later 3. Age 18-35 4. English speaking Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects must not be currently participating in another research study that would influence their participation in our study. 2. Diagnostic status 3. Treatment status 4. Night shift work or travel more than 1 time zone outside of Central Standard Time (CST) in the past month 5. Pregnancy status 6. Medication status 7. Regular nicotine or marijuana use
Interventions
- BehavioralLight therapy
5 weeks of light therapy administered via wearable light therapy glasses worn for 1 hour each morning after awakening.
Location
- Washington UniversitySt Louis, Missouri