Mindfulness may be as effective as an antidepressant for anxiety symptoms
For certain individuals, anxiety treatments, which vary from psychological interventions to antidepressants, can be highly successful. Experts also suggest self-care, which includes abstaining from illegal drugs and alcohol, exercising frequently, maintaining regular eating and sleeping schedules, and practicing mindfulness and other relaxation techniques. According to a recent study, mindfulness can reduce anxiety just as well as antidepressants.
The World Health Organization estimates that 301 million people worldwide, or about 4% of the population, suffer from an anxiety disorder. While occasional anxiety is to be expected in life, persistent anxiety or anxiety that seems excessive for the situation it was triggered by could indicate a mental health issue.
General or specific worry, fear, or anxiety; difficulty focusing or making decisions; irritability, tension, or restlessness; nausea or abdominal distress; heart palpitations; sleep issues; and a sense of impending danger, panic, or doom are all common symptoms of anxiety disorders, which can cause significant distress and interfere with a person’s daily life. Treatment options include beta-blockers (to lessen the physical symptoms of anxiety), benzodiazepines (which are typically only prescribed temporarily due to their rapid tendency to cause dependence or addiction), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a type of antidepressant.
According to a recent study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques may be just as useful as escitalopram, a popular SSRI used to treat anxiety and depression, in easing the symptoms of a variety of anxiety disorders in patients.
The results were well received by psychologist and Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing founder Lee Chambers, who was not involved in the research. She noted that the study had some validity and interest due to its randomized design and sizable sample size. Given that the effectiveness is the same after 8 weeks, mindfulness may be a good substitute with fewer adverse effects and a lower risk of addiction.
Mindfulness vs. medication for anxiety
A total of 276 adults with a diagnosis of agoraphobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or social anxiety disorder were gathered by the researchers. Subsequently, they allocated the participants in a 1:1 random order to either an 8-week escitalopram treatment or a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program. The participants self-reported their levels of anxiety and depression at the trial’s midpoint and conclusion.
The researchers previously published the same study group’s clinician-assessed results using the Clinical Global Impression of Severity scale (CGI-S). According to this evaluation, MBSR was just as successful as escitalopram at reducing anxiety symptoms. The MBSR group practiced mindfulness daily after attending weekly group sessions where they learned about the theory and application of various types of mindfulness meditation. The medication group saw a weekly clinical follow-up in addition to taking 10–20 mg of escitalopram daily.
Evaluators evaluated the participants using a variety of patient-reported measures of anxiety and depression, such as the PROMIS depression scale and the Beck Anxiety Inventory, at the 4-week trial midpoint and the 8-week primary endpoint. The participants’ treatment group remained unknown to the evaluators.
No significant difference after 8 weeks
Escitalopram-treated participants reported a higher decrease in anxiety symptoms at the halfway point of the study, but by eight weeks, there was no discernible difference between the groups. However, there were more adverse effects in the drug group. In contrast to just 21 (15.4 percent) in the MBSR group, 110 individuals (78.6 percent) reported at least one adverse event during the study. The two treatments significantly reduced anxiety levels; for instance, the PROMIS Anxiety Scale, a measure of anxiety, decreased 8–9 points in the drug group and 7–3 points in the mindfulness group. There was no statistically significant difference between these differences.
Mindfulness could be an alternative to medication
MBSR was initially developed in 1990 and incorporates both formal and informal meditation practices along with hatha yoga. It has been demonstrated to help people manage their emotions, which lowers stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Although the medication had a quicker effect, this study found that it was just as effective as escitalopram at reducing symptoms of anxiety over 8 weeks. Even though escitalopram shows noticeable results quickly, the research indicates that more comprehensive treatment approaches for anxiety may be used in the future, and individualized care will always be crucial. Hoge informed MNT that compared to the medication group, participants in the MBSR program might have profited from greater interaction.
The higher level of contact in the mindfulness group which met weekly for 2.5 hours may have had an effect on participants. In contrast, patients on the medication saw a prescriber only once a week for roughly 30 minutes. According to her, the mindfulness group practiced mindfulness meditation at home virtually every day. Despite this drawback, the researchers recommend that MBSR be provided to patients with anxiety disorders in a clinical setting because, according to their research, it appears to be just as effective as escitalopram while having fewer side effects.
In my clinical practice, I see that patients usually have strong opinions about the type of treatment they would like to receive. If they are interested in mindfulness, it’s usually because they are looking for non-pharmacological options. However, some patients would prefer to take the medication rather than put in the effort to develop a meditation practice. Therefore, mindfulness may be a useful substitute for SSRIs for people who would rather not take the chance of experiencing side effects when treating anxiety disorders.
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