Meditation For Depression And Anxiety

First, consider these BIG picture statistics:

• In almost all developed countries depression has increased tenfold since 1960, and it strikes at a much younger age. The mean age of a person's first depression is today 14.5 years compared to 29.5 years in 1960 (Seligman, 2002).

• Mental suffering is increasing rapidly in all developing countries. In China, more than 287,000 people end their own lives every year, and stress and depression cause 70 to 80 percent of suicides in urban areas. 1 in 5 children between ages 10-14 are reported to be depressed, and suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 34 (China Daily, 2007).
• Within ten years depression will affect more women throughout the world than any other illness, both mental and physical, and only heart disease and circulatory illness will do more harm to men (Murray & Lopez, WHO 1997).
• Depression increases your chances of developing coronary artery disease by 200%. Depression increases your likelihood of having a heart attack by 200-450%, and if you survive the heart attack but become depressed (65% do), your chances of dying within four months of the attack increases by 600-1,000% (Ting, 2006).

Drug companies do profit from this problem, but this is another discussion. We're dealing with meditation for depression and anxiety.

Here's what science shows...

Mindfulness-based stress reduction proves to be significantly more effective than traditional cognitive-behavioral stress reduction on lowering perceived stress, depression, anxiety, and pain. (Smith et al, 2008).

There's increasing evidence that accepting emotional and physical pain - which are subjective, moment-to-moment experiences - is more beneficial than trying to control it. Not surprisingly, moment-to-moment awareness is the essence of mindfulness.

In a separate study, 8 weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety by respectively 43% and 37% (Rosenzweig et al, 2007).

Another study investigated the effect of a simple, mantra-based meditation for depression, anxiety, mood, perceived stress and symptoms. There were significant improvements in depression, tension, anger, confusion, and fatigue, and the subjects most predisposed to negative emotions benefited the most from the intervention.

Reductions of 20-40% from baseline scores were apparent at 1 month and maintained until the end of the study at 3 months (Lane et al, 2007). Frequency of practice did affect outcome.

The most effective meditation technique for depression is compassion meditation. If you want to see scientific proof, please click here.

It boils down to coping with stress. If you regularly exercise, your body needs to rest and recover. Similarly, your mind also needs to rest and recover on a daily basis. If not, stress becomes distress and the effects are global, affecting both your mind and body. And as we initially reviewed, we're all in the same, stressful boat.

Fortunately, meditation for depression and anxiety is highly effective. And implicit in this stress-relieving process, there's a powerful antidote to stress: Compassion.

References:

• Seligman M (2002): Authentic happiness: using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. Simon & Schuster Inc., New York. Pg 117-119.
• Citation from China Daily, 9/11 2007, based on data released by the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center.
• Ting W, Fricchione G (2006): The heart-mind connection: how emotions contribute to heart disease and what to do about it. McGraw-Hill, New York. Pg 41-57.
• Smith BW, Shelley BM, Dalen J, Wiggins, K, Tooley, E, Bernard, J: A pilot study comparing the effects of mindfulness-based and cognitive-behavioral stress reduction. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2008;14(3):251-58.
• Rosenzweig S, Reibel DK, Greeson JM, Edman JS, Jasser SA, McMearty KD, Goldstein BJ: Mindfulness-based stress reduction is associated with improved glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A pilot study. Altern Ther Health Med. 2007;13(5):36-38.
• Lane JD, Seskevich JE, Pieper CF: Brief Meditation training can improve perceived stress and negative mood. Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine; 2007;(13)1: 38-44.