Mindfulness exercises and meditation could, in some cases, be as effective as taking antidepressants in combating anxiety, according to a new study.
Antidepressants and mindfulness meditation can have comparable results in some cases, states the American study published recently in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Carried out as part of a rehabilitation program by professionals, this practice could help reduce anxiety.
To carry out their work, the specialists followed 276 patients in three different hospitals. They offered half of them sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques (MBSR). For eight weeks, the volunteers followed a weekly session of two and a half hours in person. During week five, patients participated in a one-day retreat.
Additionally, they practised a daily 45-minute meditation session at home. The second half of the volunteers underwent medication and took escitalopram, an antidepressant, for eight weeks.
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At the start of the study, researchers measured anxiety disorders at the time of volunteer recruitment using a scale ranging from one to seven. They followed up on their subjects between 12 and 24 weeks after the end of treatment. At the end of their program, both groups noted a significant decrease in their anxiety.
The group following mindfulness meditation classes recorded a drop of 1.35 points compared to an average reduction of 1.43 points for those taking medication. "This was a statistically equivalent result," the authors specified. This translates into an average drop of 30% for both groups.
"Our study provides evidence for clinicians, insurers, and health care systems to recommend, include, and reimburse mindfulness-based stress reduction as an effective treatment for anxiety disorders because mindfulness meditation is currently reimbursed by very few insurance providers," Elizabeth Hoge, professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University and author of the study, said in a statement.
