Antidepressants can't beat mindfulness for anxiety
Antidepressants can't beat mindfulness for anxiety
(Web Desk) - According to new research, mindfulness practises can occasionally be just as beneficial as antidepressant medications in treating anxiety disorders.
The results show how using mindfulness meditation as a treatment for certain ailments may be beneficial.
In an eight-week trial, escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class drug widely known as Lexapro and regarded as the gold standard antidepressant, was compared to a course of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) techniques.
Up to 24 weeks after participation, follow-up surveys were conducted using the Clinical Global Impression of Severity scale (CGI-S), a rating system that ranges from 1 to 7. (With 7 being severe anxiety).
The scores of individuals who attempted mindfulness decreased on average by 1.35 points, whereas the scores of those taking escitalopram decreased on average by 1.43 points. The statistical significance of both interventions is equivalent.
According to psychiatrist Elizabeth Hoge of Georgetown University in Washington, DC, “Our study provides evidence for clinicians, insurers, and health care systems to recommend, include, and provide reimbursement for mindfulness-based stress reduction as an effective treatment for anxiety disorders.”
The researchers’ recommended course of treatment was finished by 288 patients. The mindfulness programme included a day-long retreat during the fifth or sixth week in addition to twice-weekly, 2.5-hour in-person seminars. There were also daily exercises at home for 45 minutes.
Even SSRIs like escitalopram fall slightly short of the benchmarks used to assess medication adherence, with significant numbers of patients failing to renew prescriptions. Although antidepressants can be beneficial in managing anxiety, they don’t work for everyone. Additionally, they could be hard to come by and have unpleasant side effects like nausea.
According to Hoge, one benefit of practising mindfulness meditation is that being a mindfulness facilitator can be learned without a clinical background. Additionally, sessions can be held somewhere else, such as a community center or a school, rather than in a medical environment.
Anxiety disorders are currently the most prevalent type of mental condition, affecting more than 300 million individuals worldwide. The phrase covers ailments like agoraphobia and raises the risk of both disability and suicide.
Furthermore, although mindfulness exercises have been demonstrated in the past to reduce anxiety until now there hasn’t been a direct comparison between them and antidepressants. These findings give people options they can use moving forward and provide compelling evidence that MBSR practises can lower anxiety by a comparable amount.
The researchers’ stress that compared to taking medicine, practising mindfulness does take more effort and time. Without the in-person component, it’s unclear how successful app-based meditation activities may be.
It’s crucial to remember that while mindfulness meditation has benefits, not everyone is ready to put in the time and effort required to finish all required sessions and engage in consistent at-home practice, which intensifies the benefits, according to Hoge.
Additionally, virtual delivery through videoconference is probably successful as long as the live elements, such as question-and-answer sessions and group discussions, are kept.
