A high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp comprising a discharge vessel including a first and a second end region and defining an arc chamber containing an arc generating medium, a cathode and an anode in the first and the second end regions of the discharge vessel, respectively, the cathode and the anode each comprising a terminal end disposed within the arc chamber and separated by an arc gap, and an electrically conductive starting aid configured to initiate a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) with the anode at or after a voltage across the first and second electrodes reaches an open circuit value. A ballast may control power provided to the HID lamp.