Is Mediation as Effective as Anti-Depressants?
In the midst of post-pandemic madness, the discussion of mental health has become a serious and more popular one. Accessible education for those battling function-impeding mental or physical conditions is more prevalent among AUB students, all of whom must hold official diagnosis forms from their doctors in order to obtain it. This reflects the surge in mental health conditions in recent years. Now, a year into the reintroduction of everyday life and physical attendance at university, people are more open to discussing their struggles with anxiety. A new study claims it has found a more effective method of reducing these symptoms:
Led by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center, the study aimed to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation in alleviating anxiety with antidepressant drug escitalopram (sold under brand names such as Cipralex and Lexapro). The research was done through randomized clinical trials. The researchers divided their subjects, all of whom experience anxiety, into two groups: 102 in the mindfulness group and 106 in the antidepressant group.
Those in the anti-depressant group were administered 10 mg of escitalopram daily for the first week and were then upped to a dose of 20 mg for the remainder of the study, depending on whether the pill was well tolerated by the subjects.
However, the mindfulness group was instructed to practice daily meditation consisting of different techniques they would learn in weekly classes for a total of 45 minutes, in addition to daylong weekend retreats. The techniques included mindful movement, like stretching, as well as breathing exercises and body scanning, which allow focus on one body part at a time.
The results were published by the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Psychiatry. Eight weeks into monitoring the subjects, the researchers concluded that the mindfulness meditation group were more successful in alleviating their anxiety than the antidepressants group. Lead author of the study and director of Georgetown University’s Anxiety Disorders Research Program, Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, took the findings as evidence of the use of mindful meditation as an alternative to antidepressants in the treatment of anxiety disorders.
This was groundbreaking news for everyone: People who suffer and do not suffer from serious health conditions like anxiety and depression. With the rise of people with anxiety disorders, especially during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, this finding opens the floor to more holistic ways of treating the mind and body. This can also significantly decrease the number of people using and abusing such medication, which could potentially lead to even more damage for the user. What makes this technique so powerful is the fact that it can be performed by anyone, with no dire consequences of abuse. Hopefully, further research can light the path towards more inclusive methods for those who prefer more natural remedies to live a more accommodated life.
Nour Makarem – Staff Writer
Citations:
Hoge EA, Bui E, Mete M, Dutton MA, Baker AW, Simon NM. “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Escitalopram for the Treatment of Adults With Anxiety Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA Psychiatry, JAMA Network, 9 Nov. 2022, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2798510?resultClick=1
Kimball, Spence. “Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Anxiety as Much as a Common Antidepressant Drug, Study Finds.” CNBC, NBC Universal, 9 Nov. 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/09/mindfulness-meditation-reduces-anxiety-as-much-as-common-antidepressant-drug-study.html#:~:text=Mindfulness%20meditation%20is%20as%20effective,a%20major%20journal%20on%20Wednesday.