MINDFULNESS CAN REDUCE FEAR OF LABOUR AND POST-NATAL DEPRESSION

Teaching mindfulness to pregnant women can reduce the fear of labour, the risks of postnatal depression and the need for opiates during labour, according to a recent randomized controlled trial (RCT).

In a demographically diverse sample, this small RCT demonstrated mindfulness-based childbirth education improved women’s childbirth-related appraisals and psychological functioning in comparison to standard childbirth education.

Participants showed greater childbirth self-efficacy and mindful body awareness, lower post-course depression symptoms that were maintained through postpartum follow-up, and a trend toward a lower rate of opioid analgesia use in labor. They did not, however, retrospectively report lower perceived labor pain or use epidural less frequently than controls.

Study: Duncan, L G et al. ‘Benefits of preparing for childbirth with mindfulness training: a randomized controlled trial with active comparison.’ MC Pregnancy and Childbirth. BMC series – open, inclusive and trusted 2017 17:140 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-017-1319-3.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blog. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

MINDFULNESS COMBATS DEPRESSION FOR DISADVANTAGED AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN

African-American women with lower socio-economic status have an increased risk of depressive disorders, yet they rarely seek out antidepressants or psychotherapy because of negative attitudes and stigma associated with conventional mental health treatments.

A new pilot Northwestern Medicine study showed that eight weeks of mindfulness training helped alleviate their depressive symptoms and reduce stress, providing an effective alternative to more conventional treatment.

‘Many women are in need of help with their depression and coping with daily life, but they don't seek it out because of limited access to high-quality mental health services and the stigma within their families and communities,’ said the study's principal investigator Dr Inger Burnett-Zeigler [pictured left], assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. ‘Our study shows that there are alternatives to traditional mental health treatment, such as mind-body approaches, that effectively alleviate symptoms and can be done autonomously in the comfort of their own home.’

Over the course of the 16-week study, the average depressive symptoms and stress scores decreased across the 31 participants. They also reported an increase in well-being and were able to recognize stressful triggers in their lives, notice how their bodies react to triggers and learn how to gain more control over their physiological responses to stress.

‘It felt good to be in control of my emotions for the first time in my life,’ one participant said. Another said, ‘We are always superwomen [and] we have to be able to do everything, and that brings out a lot of stress. ...This helped me to reorganize and put [these stressful events] in the proper perspective and understand I have an opportunity to learn how to calm myself down and recognize what is going on.’

The study, which was published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice on August 13, 2016, and is the first to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions to combat depression among disadvantaged women in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), which provides comprehensive community-based medical care to low-income individuals.

Dr Burnett-Zeigler and her co-authors recruited women from the Komed Holman Health Center, an FQHC on Chicago's South Side. At the time of recruitment, 91 per cent of the women at the center were eligible for the study, which demonstrates the high level of mental health need among adult women in the FQHC. Thirty-one women ended up participating in the study.

                            Source: JGI/Jamie Grill via Getty Images

Dr Burnett-Zeigler said there is great potential to expand mindfulness-based interventions nationally based on this growing need to provide low-cost, effective mental health services in community-based settings. Her future studies aim to examine the feasibility of national implementation and dissemination.

The mindfulness techniques Dr Burnett-Zeigler teaches include sitting meditation, yoga, mental body scans and taking a mindful pause to be in the moment. Patients are encouraged to increase their awareness of everyday activities, such as taking a shower or drinking a cup of coffee.

‘These practices help them take a step back and live in the moment versus worrying about what's already happened or what's to come,’ Dr Burnett-Zeigler said. ‘People who are depressed or who have depressive symptoms often have tunnel vision, whereby they're only seeing information in the environment that supports their negative beliefs.’

Study participants also were encouraged to engage in daily practice at home, in addition to the guided sessions in the clinic. On average, participants practiced meditation, yoga and mental body scans four days per week and spent an average of 2.5 hours practicing a week.

Before participating in the study, 45 per cent of the women reported no prior experience with meditation, and 71 per cent reported no past experience with yoga. All of the women who participated in the study reported symptoms of depression, however 87 per cent had not received any mental health treatment in the past year.

Journal Reference

Burnett-Zeigler I, Satyshur M D, Hong S, Yang A, Moskowitz J, Wisner K L. ‘Mindfulness based stress reduction adapted for depressed disadvantaged women in an urban Federally Qualified Health Center.’ Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2016; DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.08.007

Story Source

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Northwestern University. The original item was written by Kristin Samuelson. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blog. In Australia, for immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14, beyondblue on 1300 22 4636, or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, and for information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) or go online via sane.org. In other countries, call the relevant mental health care emergency hotline or simply dial your emergency assistance telephone number and ask for help.

MAJOR NEW STUDY FINDS THAT MINDFULNESS THERAPY WORKS AS WELL AS ANTI-DEPRESSANTS

A new study – the largest-ever analysis of research on the subject – has found that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) helps people just as much as commonly prescribed anti-depressant drugs and without harmful effects.

People suffering from depression who received MBCT were 31 per cent less likely to suffer a relapse during the next 60 weeks, the researchers reported in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Professor Willem Kuyken [pictured right], the lead author of the paper, said: ‘This new evidence for mindfulness-based cognitive therapy … is very heartening.' He added, ‘While MBCT is not a panacea, it does clearly offer those with a substantial history of depression a new approach to learning skills to stay well in the long-term.’

Professor Kuyken stressed that different people required different treatments and mindfulness should be viewed as one option alongside drugs and other forms of therapy.

A study published in the Lancet last year also found mindfulness could be as effective as drugs.

Now, should any readers be currently on anti-depressant medication, please do not stop taking your medication -- and definitely don't stop taking the medication suddenly -- without first talking the matter through with your health care professional. That is extremely important. Having suffered in the past from clinical depression, I did find anti-depressant medication helpful, and I still think that medication of that kind has an important role to play in the treatment and management of clinical depression. (See also the 'Important Notice' below.)

One more thing. So many loved ones say—more out of frustration than anything else—to the person suffering from depression, ‘Just snap out of it!’ This is probably the worst advice anyone could give to a person with depression, other than saying, 'I know how you feel.' To say, 'Just snap out of it,' may even make things worse for the person who is very much caught up in a process that, for the most part, is not amenable to exercise of the person’s will or conscious control. In that regard, clinical depression is a bit like an addiction, where the addict is similarly caught up in a process beyond their conscious control. Will power is captive to both clinical depression and addiction, so forget all about will power. The good news is that the vast majority of people with depression do get better. Recovery may take some time, and may require a combination of different treatments, but recovery is indeed possible and it is the norm. In my case, after about six years of relative misery, and undergoing a variety of treatment modalities, the depression just stopped--just like that! So, hang in there. Never lose hope. Never give up. 

Study: Kuyken, W et al. ‘Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse: :  An Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis From Randomized Trials.’ JAMA Psychiatry. Published online April 27, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0076.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blog. In Australia, for immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14, beyondblue on 1300 22 4636, or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, and for information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) or go online via sane.org. In other countries, call the relevant mental health care emergency hotline or simply dial your emergency assistance telephone number and ask for help.

ANOTHER STUDY HIGHLIGHTS THE EFFICACY OF MINDFULNESS IN TREATING DEPRESSION

Meditation is as good as anti-depressants for tackling depression according to the results of an Oxford University study recently published online in the Lancet.

The researchers found that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) prevented as many people from sliding back into clinical depression as conventional antidepressant medication.

The study followed 492 severely depressed adults over a period of 2 years. Half of the participants received mindfulness training and the other half stayed on antidepressant drugs.

It was found that 44 per cent of the MBCT group slipped back into major depression compared with 47 per cent of the group taking antidepressant medication.

Whilst the study doesn’t show that MBCT works any better than maintenance antidepressant medication in reducing the rate of relapse in depression, the results suggest that mindfulness is an acceptable alternative for the millions of people with recurrent depression on repeat prescriptions.

Study: Kuyken, W et al. ‘Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared with maintenance antidepressant treatment in the prevention of depressive relapse or recurrence (PREVENT): a randomised controlled trial.’ The Lancet. Published Online: 20 April 2015. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62222-4

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blog. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

NEW STUDY FINDS THAT MINDFULNESS MAY PREVENT ABSENTEEISM

An 8-month parliamentary inquiry in the United Kingdom has found that public servants may be less likely to burn out if they use mindfulness techniques to control stress, anxiety and depression.

The inquiry, which was conducted by the British All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mindfulness, found frontline public servants could be less likely to fall ill with stress, or quit altogether, if they engage in mindfulness.

A number of small pilot studies on the potential impact of mindfulness in the public sector are already underway in the UK. One hundred frontline health workers in Surrey were given mindfulness training last year and showed a fall in sickness absence, according to the UK Department of Health. Several prisons are running pilots to see how mindfulness can help convicted criminals avoid re-offending while 300 teachers in a network of academy schools in the northwest of England have also been trained.

‘[Mindfulness] could be rolled out to prison staff, GPs and in key professions where there is big burn out,’ said Chris Ruane MP, co-chair of the group. ‘If we prove conclusively that mindfulness can stabilise those individuals it would be a great benefit to society.’

‘Absenteeism costs the public sector a lot and giving people mindfulness training could save money in the short and long term,’ added co-chair Tracey Crouch MP. She added that interest in the practice is growing in Westminster and that she knew of two British Cabinet ministers who use mindfulness techniques. Sixty MPs and 55 peers have also had training in mindfulness.

The report represents the most significant political pressure yet to bring mindfulness into the mainstream.

Note. Acknowledgements are due to The Guardian for material in this post.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blog. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

NEW STUDY SHOWS THAT MINDFULNESS IS AS GOOD AS CBT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

Listen. I know the reality of depression and anxiety. I no longer suffer from those conditions but I did for a considerable period of time---especially depression. I didn't use mindfulness to manage and eventually overcome those conditions, for I didn't know about it at the time. I used traditional psychotherapy combined with antidepressant drug treatment. I do not condemn those modalities, in fact I endorse them. I am, however, always interested in other forms of treatment, especially mindfulness. Hence this blog.

Now, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden and Region Skåne, group mindfulness treatment is as effective as individual cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in patients suffering from depression and anxiety. As an aside, we all know that group therapy can often be more effective than individual treatment. There is an energy, and a synergy, that arises from the group. Mindfulness involves seeing things-as-they-really-are, non-judgmentally, and that can at times be quite a confronting experience for persons with mental health issues. However, a group setting can assist greatly in that regard.

The researchers, led by Professor Jan Sundquist [pictured left], ran the study at 16 primary health care centres in Skåne, a county in southern Sweden. In spring 2012 some 215 patients with depression, anxiety or reactions to severe stress were randomised to either structured group mindfulness treatment with approximately 10 patients per group, or regular treatment (mainly individual CBT). Patients also received a private training programme and were asked to record their exercises in a diary. The treatment lasted 8 weeks.

Before and after treatment, the patients in the mindfulness and regular treatment groups answered questionnaires that estimated the severity of their depression and anxiety. Self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety decreased in both groups during the 8-week treatment period. There was no statistical difference between the two treatments.

‘The study’s results indicate that group mindfulness treatment, conducted by certified instructors in primary health care, is as effective a treatment method as individual CBT for treating depression and anxiety’, says Jan Sundquist. ‘This means that group mindfulness treatment should be considered as an alternative to individual psychotherapy, especially at primary health care centres that can’t offer everyone individual therapy’.

Resource: Sundquist J, Lilja A, Palmer K, Memon A, Wang X, and Johansson L. ‘Mindfulness group therapy in primary care patients with depression, anxiety and stress and adjustment disorders: randomized controlled trial.’ British Journal of Psychiatry, 2014. Published online ahead of print Nov 27, 2014, doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.150243.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org

MINDFULNESS MAY HELP WITH MENOPAUSAL DEPRESSION

Psychotherapy and mindfulness techniques could help many women who experience depression during menopause, according to a review of existing research.

 

Too few studies have looked at whether cognitive therapies are good alternatives for women who can’t or don’t want to use pharmaceutical treatments to offset the symptoms of menopausal depression, but the handful that have done so have mostly shown positive results.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy helps patients change the way they think and feel to lead more productive lives. Behavioural therapy focuses more on modifying actions to stem self-destructive behaviour. Mindfulness meditation helps patients to better tolerate and deal with stress.

 

In 2013 Dr Sheryl M Green [pictured left], co-author of The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Menopause, and her colleagues searched 5,126 studies and found only two on the use of cognitive, cognitive-behavioural or mindfulness therapies for women with major depression during menopause. Both studies showed that women improved after cognitive-behavioural therapy. In the first study, half of the 169 menopausal women who had 16 sessions of individual therapy were much less depressed afterwards and 25 per cent were no longer depressed at all. Women were also much less depressed after 16 sessions of a two-hour, twice-weekly group therapy in a second study with 44 participants.

 

In 2014 Green’s team broadened its search, including studies that looked at depression as one of several menopausal symptoms and came up with 12 more.

Women tended to feel less depressed after therapy involving education, coping skills and muscle relaxation for menopausal symptoms in several of those studies. However, an educational seminar alone didn’t improve their moods. They also felt less depressed after mindfulness-based stress reduction and relaxation techniques, plus diaphragmatic breathing, according to studies on hot flashes and mood.

However, women didn’t always feel less depressed after cognitive therapies. In some cases, Green’s team writes, this might be because women need programs geared toward their specific physical issues, such as hot flashes or vaginal dryness, and feelings about going through the transition.

Some of the studies in the review were small, the authors caution, and did not include enough follow-up, didn’t have a comparison group or included only women who were mildly depressed. These limitations and the fact that there wasn’t much research to begin with mean more is needed, the authors say. 'Even though the literature is still in its infancy with establishing cognitive-behavioural therapy as an effective treatment for menopausal symptoms, and menopausal depression more specifically, cognitive-behavioural therapy has received empirical support and high acceptability for over three decades with many mental health and physical difficulties,' Dr Green says. 'With its low-risk nature, it is something that I continue to practise with menopausal patients who cannot or choose not to take medication---with suceess.'

 

 

Resource: Green SM, Key BL, and McCabe RE. ‘Cognitive-behavioral, behavioral, and mindfulness-based therapies for menopausal depression: A review.’ Maturitas. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.10.004

 

 

 

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: See the Terms of Use and Disclaimer. The information provided on this blogspot is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blogspot. For immediate advice or support call Lifeline on 13 1 1 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. For information, advice and referral on mental illness contact the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) go online via sane.org