Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Mental Health Depression

Meditation-based program shows promise in the treatment of depression

by Emily Manis
July 6, 2022
in Depression, Meditation

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Mindfulness and meditation have grown in popularity in the Western world in recent years, but does it have any merit for people suffering from depression? A study published in Depression & Anxiety suggests it could be an effective intervention for people who are mentally ill.

Depression is a mental illness that can have profound and distressing effects on people who are suffering from it. Rates of depression have been rising steadily over the past 20 years and it has been recognized as being the leading cause of disability in the entire world. Depression tends to be treated with therapy and/or psychotropic medication, but there is often backlash to the side effects of antidepressants.

Meditation Based Lifestyle Modification is an 8-week-long therapeutic mind-body intervention designed to aid in mental health. It combines yoga, self-reflection, and mindfulness, but has not been studied as a treatment yet, which this study aims to address.

Holger C. Bringmann and colleagues recruited 81 German individuals who were outpatient patients with mild to moderate depression at the Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy to serve as their sample. Data was collected between 2018 and 2020. Participants were asked to participate for 8 weeks in the intervention.

Participants were placed in the Meditation Based Lifestyle Modification group, the TAU (treatment as usual) group, or the control group. The TAU group received individually tailored therapy according to guidelines of treating depression. Participants continued medication if they were already on it. Researchers compared effectiveness of interventions and completed a 6-month follow up.

Results showed that participants who participated in the Meditation Based Lifestyle Modification condition showed improvement in self-reported depression symptoms and stress at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 6 months following this study. The improvement was significantly more than what was shown for the TAU group. TAU participants received an hour a week more of therapy than the meditation condition, but the meditation condition participants were asked to practice yoga and mindfulness at home for 4 hours a week.

There were no significant differences between the TAU group and the control group, as the improvements reported by the TAU group were small. These effects are possibly due to the fact that some participants in the TAU group shared feeling their therapy was not appropriate, while participants in the meditation condition felt theirs was.

But the study was designed for depression patients with an interest in yoga or mindfulness and the effects may not be as great for people without this interest. Additionally, symptoms were measure via client self-rated questionnaires, which could be inaccurate or biased.

“Overall, the results support the use of MBLM in depressed patients,” the researchers concluded. “Further high-quality controlled clinical studies including qualitative research are needed to investigate the specific and unspecific effects of the MBLM program in depression and other medical conditions. Furthermore, the effects of MBLM support the idea that research in mind–body medicine should also address the traditional background of interventions and examine their contextual factors for their potential therapeutic effects. In addition to efficacy studies, more theory-driven fundamental research is also required to advance the field of research adequately.”

The study, “Meditation-based lifestyle modification in mild to moderate depression—A randomized controlled trial“, was authored by Holger C. Bringmann, Andreas Michalsen, Michael Jeitler, Christian S. Kessler, Benno Brinkhaus, Stefan Brunnhuber, and Peter Sedlmeier.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePin9Send

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

Narcissism and mental health in relationships: Surprising results revealed in new psychology study

People are less satisfied with their marriage when their partner is not interested in social interactions, study finds

Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection linked to cognitive deterioration in schizophrenia

Sleep effort mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression, study finds

New research shows link between tropical vacations and improved mental health

Pro-female and anti-male biases are more influential than race and other factors in Implicit Association Tests

RECENT

Pro-female and anti-male biases are more influential than race and other factors in Implicit Association Tests

Toxoplasma gondii parasite infection linked to cognitive deterioration in schizophrenia

New research shows link between tropical vacations and improved mental health

Narcissism and mental health in relationships: Surprising results revealed in new psychology study

Sleep effort mediates the relationship between anxiety and depression, study finds

Masks hinder our ability to recognize facial expressions of sadness and fear

New research suggests populism and conspiracy mentality are both rooted in a fundamental disposition of distrust

Facing stigmatization due to depression can lower pain tolerance and increase catastrophizing

Currently Playing

People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

People with dark personality traits are better at finding novel ways to cause damage or harm others

Dark Triad
Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Exercising in nature produces psychological benefits and measurable changes in brain activity

Cognitive Science
People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

People with social anxiety tend to engage in restrictive “safety behaviors” that make them less likable, study finds

Anxiety
Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Study helps untangle the complicated relationship between psychopathy and emotional awareness

Psychopathy
People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

Relationships and Sexual Health
Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Mental Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.