Mindfulness vs antidepressants

Earlier this month we reported in this column on the plant/herb “Golden Root” (Rhodiola) as an effective treatment for depression. As was pointed out then, with one in six people experiencing depression at some stage of their lives, the need for gentle treatments without the side-effects or dependency of pharmaceuticals is great. Now another study has shown that mindfulness may be another alternative to antidepressants.

One of the big problems with depression is that it comes back. It is not as though you can deal with it once and move on. Currently one of the key ways to prevent relapse is the use of antidepressant pharmaceutical drugs. However, for a variety of reasons, people don’t want to stay on antidepressants indefinitely.

In a new study researchers recruited 424 adults who had recurrent major depression and were taking antidepressants. The subjects were randomly assigned to either stay on their medication or come off their antidepressants or receive Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). The MBCT involved the subjects being taught skills to identify thoughts and feelings associated with depression when they encounter them. Constructive responses are taught to these depressive moments with the hope that a full relapse can be avoided. The 212 subjects in the MBCT group attended eight group sessions that lasted 2.5 hours each as well as having daily homework exercises. Over the course of a year these people could also attend four follow-up sessions of they chose.

Over a two-year follow-up period a psychiatric diagnostic tool was used to assess all participants. It emerged that 47 per cent of people on anti-depressants had a relapse in the two year period compared to 44 per cent having relapses in the MBCT group. That three per cent difference is not significant but it does show that MBCT is as effective as antidepressants but without the side-effects and so on, and even some benefits besides.

The researchers say that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is a viable choice for people with recurrent depression. Dare we suggest that mindfulness-based living might also be a viable choice for all of us.