Study: Mindfulness Helps Relieve Anxiety

Mindfulness meditation performed similarly to standard medications for treating anxiety in the first head-to-head comparison.

This study tested a widely used mindfulness program. The program includes his two-and-a-half hours of classes per week and 45 minutes of daily practice at home. Participants were randomly assigned to a program or daily use of a generic drug marketed under the brand name Lexapro, a drug for the treatment of depression and anxiety.

After 2 months, anxiety as measured by a severity scale decreased by approximately 30% in both groups and continued to decrease for the next 4 months.

The study results, published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, are timely. The influential U.S. Health Task Force recommended regular anxiety screenings for adults in September, related to concerns about pandemics, political and racial unrest, climate change, and economic uncertainty. , many reports suggest that global anxiety rates have increased recently.

Anxiety disorders include social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic attacks. Affected people suffer from persistent and intrusive worries that interfere with their lives and relationships. In the United States, data cited in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s screening recommendations show that 40% of women in the United States will suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, more than one in four of her men. doing.

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Mindfulness is a form of meditation that emphasizes focusing only on what is happening in the moment and letting go of intrusive thoughts. A session often begins with breathing exercises. A “body scan” might be next. Systematically consider each part of your body from head to toe. When worrying thoughts enter, participants learn to easily acknowledge them and then dismiss them.

Instead of ruminating on troublesome thoughts, you say, ‘I have this thought, now let it go’. Relationships change.”

Previous studies have shown that mindfulness is more effective than no treatment. At the very least, it has been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, and other emotional distress, as do education and more formal behavioral therapy.

But this is the first study to test it against a psychiatric drug, and the results may increase the chances of insurance companies covering costs that cost between $300 and $500 for an eight-week session. .

The results are based on approximately 200 adults who completed a six-month study at medical centers in Washington, Boston, and New York. Researchers used a psychiatric scale of 1 to 7, with the top number reflecting severe anxiety. Participants had an average score of approximately 4.5 before starting treatment. After 2 months it dropped to about 3, and at 3 months he dropped slightly in both groups at 6 months. According to Hoge, the change was clinically meaningful, with significant improvement in symptoms.

Ten patients who were on the drug dropped out because of potentially troubling treatment-related side effects, including insomnia, nausea, and fatigue. For that reason, there were no dropouts at the Ness Group.

The study “reaffirms just how helpful mindfulness can be when practiced effectively,” said psychologist Sheehan Fisher, associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He was not involved in the research.

Dr. Scott Kracower, a psychiatrist at Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York, says mindfulness treatments are often most effective for those with mild anxiety. Prescribe medicine for a patient who

He noted that many people feel they do not have time for mindfulness meditation, especially face-to-face sessions such as those studied. says Krakower, who was not involved in the study.