Study suggests mindfulness is as effective as pills for treating depression
Current recommended treatment for recurrant depression in the UK is at least two years of maintenance antidepressants, but a recent study has shown that meditation and mindfulness may be equally as effective.
In the study, published in the Lancet medical journal, two randomized, controlled, groups of 212 adults were put together. The groups consisted of people who had suffered three or more major depressive episodes and were on a therapeutic dose of maintenance antidepressants. One group spent the next two years tapering off the pills, or not using any at all, and attended eight group sessions of more than two hours plus daily home practice and the option of four follow-up sessions over a year. The sessions included group discussions and cognitive behavior exercises, as well as training in mindfulness.
The other group maintained their consumption of antidepressant pills, with no additional training or therapy for the duration of the two years.
Interestingly, the study found that there was no significant difference in prevention of depressive relapse. Both the pills and the meditation worked wonders. In total, amongst the 424 participants, there were 5 adverse events, including 4 deaths (2 in each group).
Chemistry is an interesting thing. Sometimes you change your body chemistry by changing your behavior and mind-set and sometimes you change it by injesting something. Both work. One key point is that the mindfulness allows people to stop relying on a pill and that it teaches people to control their state of mind at no cost. According to Nigel Reed, who took part in the trial, "mindfulness gives me a set of skills which I use to keep well in the long term. Rather than relying on the continuing use of antidepressants, mindfulness puts me in charge, allowing me to take control of my own future, to spot when I am at risk and to make the changes I need to stay well.”
It's not uncommon for people to try different avenues in approach to feeling better; this study shows how accurate they both are. A few years back, Jim Carrey, amongst others, went public about his experiences with antidepressants and meditation
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2814%2962222-4/abstract
Image Credit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11550766/Mindfulness-as-good-as-anti-depressants-for-tackling-depression.html