Home > Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders > Light therapy

Definition

Light therapy refers to two different categories of treatment, one used in mainstream medical practice and the other in alternative/complementary medicine. Mainstream light therapy (also called phototherapy) includes the use of ultraviolet light to treat psoriasis and other skin disorders, and the use of full-spectrum or bright light to treat seasonal affective disorder(SAD). Light therapy for SAD was first introduced in the 1980s and is now a widely approved form of treatment for the disorder.

Light therapy in alternative or complementary approaches includes such techniques as the use of colored light or colored gemstones directed at or applied to various parts of the body. In some alternative forms of light therapy, the person visualizes being surrounded by...