Study: Mindfulness programs as effective as drugs for treating anxiety disorders

By Alice Clifford via SWNS

Mindfulness programs can be as effective as antidepressant drugs for treating anxiety disorders, according to new research.

The study shows that guided mindfulness-based stress reduction programs (MBSR) are as effective as the commonly used antidepressant escitalopram.

A team of scientists recruited 276 patients who suffered from anxiety between June 2018 and February 2020 from three hospitals in Boston, New York City and Washington.

They randomly assigned people to either an eight-week course of MBSR or the drug escitalopram to treat their anxiety.

A total of 102 American patients completed MBSR and 106 undertook a course of the anti-depressant medication.

After the eight-week trial, the severity of anxiety of those being treated by the drug and those doing MBSR dropped by more or less the same amount.

Some MBSR techniques include meditation, breathing techniques and connecting with nature.

The program aims to help people calm their minds and body, as well as help them cope with illness, pain, and stress.

MBSR was offered weekly via two-and-a-half-hour in-person classes, a day-long retreat weekend class during the fifth and sixth week, and 45-minute daily home practice exercises.

The anxiety of each participant was assessed in four stages. It was recorded at the beginning and end of the eight-week trial, as well as 12 and 24 weeks later.

The trial was completely blind, with scientists not knowing if each patient had received the drug or MBSR.

The researchers measured the severity of anxiety symptoms using a scale of one to seven, with seven indicating severe anxiety. At the beginning of the trial, the average level of anxiety was 4.5.

After undergoing treatment, both groups saw the severity of their anxiety drop. Those doing MBSR saw an average fall of 1.35, while those taking the drug had a 1.43 average decrease.

Overall, each treatment resulted in an approximate 30 percent drop in the severity of anxiety.

The patients had an average age of 33. Out of the total, there were 156 women, which made up 75 percent of the participants, mirroring the disease prevalence in the US.

In the US, around 15 percent of the population tried some form of meditation to treat anxiety in 2017.

Anxiety disorders can be varied and life-altering. They include generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder and fear of certain places or situations, such as crowds and public transportation.

Suffering from these disorders can lead to an increased risk of suicide, disability and distress.

While drugs can be very effective, many patients can find it difficult to get them. They can also cause side effects such as nausea, sexual dysfunction and drowsiness.

Study first author Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, of Georgetown University Medical Center, said: “Our study provides evidence for clinicians, insurers, and healthcare systems to recommend, include and provide reimbursement for mindfulness-based stress reduction as an effective treatment for anxiety disorders because mindfulness meditation currently is reimbursed by very few providers.

“A big advantage of mindfulness meditation is that it doesn’t require a clinical degree to train someone to become a mindfulness facilitator.

“Additionally, sessions can be done outside of a medical setting, such as at a school or community center.”

Olga Cannistraro, 52, is an advocate for MBSR. She was selected for another MBSR study after she responded to an advertisement asking: “Do you worry?”

Cannistraro said: “I didn’t think of myself as anxious – I just thought my life was stressful because I had taken on too much, but I thought ‘yeah, I do worry’. There was something excessive about the way I responded to my environment.”

She added: “It gave me the tools to spy on myself. Once you have awareness of an anxious reaction, then you can make a choice for how to deal with it. It’s not like a magic cure, but it was a life-long kind of training.

“Instead of my anxiety progressing, it went in the other direction and I’m very grateful for that.”

Dr. Hoge said: “It is important to note that although mindfulness meditation works, not everyone is willing to invest the time and effort to successfully complete all of the necessary sessions and do regular home practice which enhances the effect.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the researchers moved treatments to an online form, using videoconferences.

Dr. Hoge said: “Virtual delivery via videoconference is likely to be effective, so long as the ‘live’ components are retained, such as question-and-answer periods and group discussion.”

But Dr. Hoge points out that researchers don’t know how online support using apps can compare with the full in-person experience of weekly group classes.

In the future, the researchers hope to explore the effects of MBSR on sleep and depression.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.