Meditation Better Than Antidepressants

 Goup therapy involving an adaptation from Buddhist meditation has been found to be as effective at combating depression as medication, a study just published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology has found.

Fifteen months after an eight-week trial involving 123 people, 47 per cent of people with depression who under-went therapy suffered a relapse, compared with 60 per cent of those taking antidepressants.The treatment, known as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), helps people focus on the present instead of dwelling on the past or planning the future.

The study, funded by the UK Medical Research Council, found MBCT, developed in 2002 by a team of psychologists from Canada, Oxford, and Cambridge, was actually more effective than medication in improving patients’ quality of life.

The sessions involve the teaching of meditation techniques based on some found in Buddhism. The aim is to teach skills which help patients recognise and cope with their tendency towards depression.

Here are some quotes from one participant…

"My view of the world has changed and I look at life in a new light."

"It’s given me the ability to come up against something that would have previously thrown me, think it through, come up with a solution and then move on. "

 The British National Health Service (NHS) say that compared to one-to-one sessions, or medication, "mindfulness-based cognitive therapy" (MBCT) is cheaper form of treatment.

You can also help your fight against depression with correct diet.

Is this more evidence of a slow but steady movement towards a more holistic approach to mental health care? I really hope so, what do you think?

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