There is increasing recognition of the need to stabilize sleep-wake cycles in individuals with major mental disorders. As such, clinicians and researchers advocate for the use of interventions targeted at sleep and circadian dysrhythmias as an adjunct to the standard treatments offered for acute illness episodes of a broad range of diagnoses. To determine the trans-diagnostic generalizability of chronotherapy, the investigators will explore the benefits of admitting individuals with major mental disorders to an acute psychiatric inpatient unit where changes in light exposure are integrated into the therapeutic environment. A two-arm pragmatic effectiveness randomized controlled treatment trial, where individuals admitted for inpatient psychiatric care will be allocated to a ward with blue depleted evening light or to a ward with the same layout and facilities but lacking the new lighting technology. The trial will test whether the experimental lighting conditions offer any additional benefits beyond those associated with usual treatment in an acute psychiatric inpatient unit. The main objectives are to examine any differences between groups in the mean duration of hospitalization in days. Additional analyses will compare groups differences in sleep, functioning, symptoms, medication usage, and side-effects and whether length of stay is associated with stability of sleep-wake cycles and circadian rhythms. Given this unique research opportunity, ancillary investigations will determine any benefits according to diagnostic subgroups and potential drawbacks such as any adverse effects on the well-being of professionals working across both wards.
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Duration of admission
Timeframe: Recorded at the date of discharge (range from 0 to about 150 days).