Study review shows drop in anxiety
and depression in those who meditate
By Nicole Ostrow
Meditation may offer the same
relief as antidepressants for people with symptoms of anxiety and depression,
according to an analysis of previous findings on the practice.
A review of 47 studies showed a 5
per cent to 10 per cent reduction in anxiety symptoms and a 10 per cent to 20
per cent improvement in depression in individuals who meditated compared with
placebo groups, according to research published on Jan 6 in the Jama Internal
Medicine journal. The analysis also suggested that meditation eased pain,
though it was not clear which types of pain it relieved the most.
The findings may support the use
of ‘mindfulness’ meditation as a way to moderate the need for medications to
treat anxiety and depression, said Dr Allan Goroll, a professor of medicine at
Massachusetts General Hospital, in an accompanying editorial.
Mindfulness meditation is a form
practised for 30 – 40 minutes a day that teaches a person how to become more
aware of one’s thoughts, breathing and emotions.
“The findings of such research
should be the subject of conversations that need to begin in every examination
room and extend to engage the media, who play a key role in determining patient
attitudes towards health care and the demand for services,” Dr Goroll wrote.
Researches looked at 47 trials
through June of 3,515 people. The studies included meditation and evaluated an
assortment of mental and physical health issues, including depression, anxiety,
insomnia, heart disease, chronic pain and stress.
Patients who underwent about eight
weeks of training for mindfulness meditation showed improvement in symptoms of
anxiety, depression and pain. Most of
the patients had not been diagnosed with clinical anxiety or depression. The
reduction in symptoms was similar to the effects that other studies have found for the use of
antidepressants in similar populations, researchers said.
Dr Madhav Goyal, an assistant
professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the study’s lead author,
said the researchers do not know why meditation may work at relieving
depression and anxiety, though It could be that people who meditate reduce
their reaction to negative emotions or symptoms, lowering the effects of the
emotions.
“Clinicians should be prepared to
talk with their patients about the role that meditation programmes could have un
addressing psychological stress, particularly when symptoms are mild,” he said
in an e-mail.
Still, larger studies are needed
to better understands who is helped the most by meditation programmes, Dr Goyal
said.
“Our review suggests that there is
moderate evidence for a small but consistent benefit for anxiety, depression
and chronic pain,” he said.
“There is not known major harm
from meditation, and medication doesn’t come with any know side effects. One
can also practise meditation along with other treatments one is already
receiving.”
There was little evidence in the
analysis that meditation improved the quality of life or stress and not enough
information to show if other areas, including attention, substance abuse, sleep
and weight, were improved by the practice, the authors said.
“We should keep foremost in our
mind that meditation was never conceived of as a treatment for any health
problem,” Dr Goyal said. “Rather, it is a path one travels on to increase his
awareness and gain insight into his life. The best reason to meditate is to
increase insight into one’s life, which is probably good for everyone.”
- Washington Post
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