Don’t discount meditation
Commenting on the findings, Holger Cramer, MSc, PhD, DSc, who was not involved in the study, noted that the systematic review and meta-analysis builds on a number of previous reviews regarding the benefits of yoga for mental disorders.
“Surprisingly, the largest effect in this analysis was found in schizophrenia, even higher than in patients with depressive disorders,” said Dr. Cramer of the University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany). “This is in strong contradiction to what would otherwise be expected. As the authors point out, only about a quarter of all schizophrenia patients suffer from depression, so there should not be so much room for improvement.”
Dr. Cramer also advised against reducing yoga to simply a physical undertaking. “We have shown in our meta-analysis that those interventions focusing on meditation and/or breathing techniques are the most effective ones,” he added.
As such, he urged that breathing techniques be a part of yoga for treating depression in psychiatric disorders, though care should be taken in patients with PTSD, “since breath control might be perceived as unpleasant.”
For Ms. Brinsley, the findings help solidify yoga’s potential as a genuine treatment option for a variety of mental health patients suffering depressive symptoms.
“It’s about acknowledging that yoga can be a helpful part of treatment and can have a significant effect on mental health,” she noted.
At the same time, practitioners also need to acknowledge that patients suffering from mental health disorders may struggle with motivation when it comes to activities such as yoga.
“Engaging in a new activity can be particularly challenging if you’re struggling with mental health. Nevertheless, it’s important for people to have a choice and do something they enjoy. And yoga can be another tool in their toolbox for managing their mental health,” she said.
The study was funded by the U.K. National Institute for Health Research and Health Education England. Ms. Brinsley and Dr. Cramer have reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.