How Effective is Yoga in Reducing the Symptoms of Depression in Middle-Aged Adults - Literature review Example

How Effective is Yoga in Reducing the Symptoms of Depression in Middle Aged Adult? Name Institution Course Date How Effective is Yoga in Reducing the Symptoms of Depression in Middle Aged Adult? Introduction Depression is a common mental health problem globally. Depression is also the leading cause of disability in middle aged adults below 45 years of age. World Health Organization (WHO) (2015) report found that at least 350 million people suffer from depression worldwide. In the United States, more than 14.8 million adults suffer from depression. Similar high prevalence of this deliberating mental health disorder is reported in Australia, where an estimated one in every 16 Aussies suffers from depression (WHO 2015). Despite the growing problem of the disorder worldwide, the use of standard allopathic treatments only decreases the symptoms of the disorder slightly. As research, many studies have recommended the use of complementary medicines, such as yoga in relieving depressive symptoms in adults. The objective of this paper is to discuss the effectiveness of yoga therapy in relieving the symptoms of depression in middle aged adults. In so doing, the paper begins by describing the methodology used in finding the journal articles used in the research followed by a detailed analysis of the findings of the studies. The paper will conclude with a summary of the paper and highlight the limitations of the studies. Methodology In order to locate the original research studies that investigated How Effective Yoga Is in Reducing the Symptoms of Depression in Middle Aged Adults, CINAHL and SCOPUS databases were searcher through Google Scholar. At the begin of the search, the following key word search terms were entered into the two databases and searched through advanced search option: yoga, depression and middle aged adults. These search terms were used to gather the general information about the effectiveness of yoga in reducing the symptoms of depression in middle aged adults. However, because the initial search produced 3,962 articles some of which were irrelevant to the topic of study, a second search was done by introducing other key words to limit the number of articles only to those which are relevant to the study. Therefore, in the second search, the following limitations were introduced to the initial search terms: yoga, depression, adults from 18-45, peer reviewed articles, from 2010-2016. With these limitations in the search, the number of articles reduced to 886. Finally, a number of protocols were followed in selecting the articles. First, the title of the articles was read. In this respect, in cases where the articles appeared to appropriate and relevant to the study objective, the effectiveness of yoga in reducing depression in middle aged adults, the article was picked and saved in a folder. All the original articles describing the effectiveness of yoga in reducing depression were picked for further evaluation. The article picked were then read and evaluated thoroughly to ensure that only those that are relevant for the study were used in the literature. Out of the 886 articles that appeared relevant for the study, fifty titles were read while only 9 abstracts were read. At the same time, 20 full peer-reviewed articles were read. However, only 21 articles were relevant while the rest though had aspects of yoga and depression, they did not relevant to the study in terms of age group and the year of publications. Study Designs Article Study Design Buttnera et al. (2015) Randomized controlled trial Davis et al. (2015) Randomized controlled trial De Manincor Delphi methodology Field et al. (2013) Randomized trial Field et al. (2013) Randomized trial Field et al. (2012) Randomized trial Gaiswinklera and Unterrainer (2016) Internet survey Kinser et al. (2013) Randomized controlled mixed-methods Sarubina et al. (2014) Randomized trial Satyapriya et al. (2013) Randomized control study Schuver and Lewis (2016) Randomized control study Uebelacker et al. (2010) Open trial Findings & Discussion Depression is a common mental health disorder that affects millions of people across the globe. Gaiswinklera, Unterrainer and (2016, p. 127) define depression as a mental health disorder caused by changes in the brain functioning. Depression affects how a person think, feel and how a person handles daily activities, such as working, eating and sleeping. Despite the high prevalence of the disease, Satyapriya et al. (2013, p. 230) shows that the standard treatment methods for reducing the symptoms of the disease have not been able to address the symptoms of the disorder effectively. As such, there have been many proposals for the use of complementary medicines in relieving the symptoms of depression. Yoga is one of the complementary medicines widely in use across the globe in addressing the symptoms of depression. Yoga is believed to have originated in India and involves and is a practice of use of physical exercise that entails body movements, meditation and breathing. Yoga is currently widely been embraced even in the western societies as a complementary medicine. The use of yoga as a complementary medicine is particularly seen in the treatment of depression. This is prompted by many bodies of research that have found that yoga is an effective approach to treating depressive symptoms. In this respect, Field et al. (2012, p. 205) and Field et al. (2013, p. 399) studies show that yoga is an effective therapy for depression in the sense that meditation, which is one of yoga practice helps bring a person into the present state and that this allows a person to clear his/her mind. Field et al. (2013, p. 400) study also found that the focused movements in yoga practice are an effective medicine for depression since it helps the connection between the body and the mind of an individual. The effectiveness of yoga in treating depression was also established in Sarubina et al. (2014, p. 99) study that yoga is a suitable therapy for reducing depressive symptoms. In the study, the researchers found that yoga is helpful in healing depression because the exercise involved in yoga emphasizes on deep and controlled breathing. As such, when this is done repeatedly and made a practice, it helps bring a person into the present state, thus helping relieve the depressive symptoms. De Manincor et al. (2014, p. 1) is one such study that have established the effectiveness of yoga in treating depressive symptoms. In a study that sought to investigate the fundamental elements of yoga interventions for minimizing depressive symptoms and improving the wellbeing of a person found posture, and breathe regulation as being very essential in reliving depressive symptoms. However, as much as some studies have suggested that meditation and relaxation are important for people suffering from depression, the study by De Manincor et al. (2014, p. 1) did not find any significance of meditation and relation on reducing depressive symptoms. Instead, the researchers observed that relaxation and medication were important in reducing anxiety, which is also a condition associated with depression. As such, De Manincor et al. (2014, p. 1) recommended that medication and relaxation should be used alongside posture and breathing regulation in treating people with depression. The effectiveness of yoga in reducing depression symptoms among middle aged adults was established by Uebelacker et al. (2010, p. 247). The discovery was made following their study that sought to establish the feasibility and acceptability of Vinyasa yoga in relieving depressive symptoms for patients that were not responding positively to the antidepressants. In most western societies, antidepressant medications are the ones that are heavily relied upon for depression treatment. However, there are some patients that do not respond adequately to antidepressant medications. Fortunately, Uebelacker et al. (2010, p. 252) found that, for those patients who are not responding adequately to antidepressants, Vinyasa yoga could be the answer to their problems. This follows their study that found that, out of the 10 depressed patients that participated in their study, 9 of these patients reported decreased depressive symptoms and an improvement in the behavior activation and mindfulness. In the United States, depression is a major mental health problem that affects more than 16.8 millions. However, the majority of those affected by depression are the women. Like in the previous study by Uebelacker et al. (2010, p. 254) most patients do not respond effectively to antidepressant medications. Therefore, Kinser et al. (2013, p. 41) who made up a follow up study on the previous studies on the effectiveness of complementary medicine in the treatment of depress performed a randomized, controlled community study on the effectiveness of yoga in women suffering from depression. The Study that involved 27 participants and conducted for an 8-week period found that the depressive symptom in all the 27 women who participated in the study decreased significantly overtime. However, the researchers recommended that yoga should be used alongside modern standard treatment methods, such as antidepressants for the achievement of optimal results. Similar finding was made by Davis et al. (2015, p. 166) and Schuver and Lewis (2016, p. 85). In this respect, Davis et al. (2015, p. 166) study found that, the entire 46 depressed pregnant women demonstrated positive improvements in depressive symptoms after 8 weeks of subjection to yoga. Although the researchers found the standard treatment methods also to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety in pregnant women, prenatal yoga outperformed the conventional methods, such as the use of antidepressants in reliving depressive symptoms in pregnant women. Schuver and Lewis (2016, p. 87) study involving a randomized controlled trial found that the use of mindfulness-based yoga is an effective intervention for depression. In particular, the researchers suggested that, that other than relying on antidepressants for treating depression, it is important for health care providers and patients to consider using home-based yoga, such as yoga asana, meditation, pranayama and mindfulness education in treating depression in women suffering from depression. Buttnera et al. (2015, p. 96) took the previous studies further by exploring the effectiveness of complementary medicines in depression. Buttnera et al. (2015, p. 96) argues that depression is a growing mental health problem that the society needs to address to ensure the health and wellbeing of the people. In particular, the researchers noted that depression is a common health disorder among postpartum women. Despite the problem, most postpartum women do not respond adequately to the usual modern treatment methods. Therefore, in an attempt to establish an effective intervention treatment for depression in postpartum women, Buttnera et al. (2015, p. 95) performed a study on the effects of yoga on this group of women. After few months of yoga exercise on the women, the researchers the women report a significant improvement in anxiety and depressive symptoms. Based on the study, the researchers suggested that yoga should be considered for use in addressing depressive symptoms in postpartum women. Conclusion The studies have shown that depression is a common mental disorder globally with more than 350 million people affected by the disease. Depression is a condition that affects the ability of a person to think, feel, do things, as well as the wellbeing of a person. However, in most societies, depression is treated using antidepressants. Despite this, antidepressant medications do not respond adequately to many patients. Fortunately, the findings of this study have shown that yoga is an effective medication for depression. In all the studies on the complementary medicines, has been observed that yoga is effective in reducing the symptoms of depression. The studies show that yoga reduces depressive symptoms by bringing a person into the present state and that this allows a person to clear his/her mind. Other yoga components, such as movements relieve depression by connecting between the body and the mind of an individual. Limitations Although all the studies provide a good explanation of the effects of yoga on depression, these studies have certain limitations that need to be addressed to make them more reliable and comprehensive. The first limitation is that most of the studies involved the use of small sample size to represent the population, which makes the studies less reliable. Second limitation has to do with the fact that most of the studies were conducted in the United States, thus leaving other parts of the continent out. Additionally, most of the studies looked at focused on the effect of yoga on depression in women with few focusing on both sexes. As a result, men appear to have been left out by most of these studies, which is a major limitation. However, overall, the studies have showed that yoga is effective in reducing symptoms of depression in middle age adults. Therefore, based on these findings, it would be appropriate for health care providers to consider recommending the used of yoga as a complementary medicine alongside antidepressant for patients suffering from depression. At the same time, patients and policymakers should embrace yoga to ensure effective implementation in health facilities and homes for addressing depressive symptoms in patients. References Buttnera, M. M., Brock, R. L., O'Hara, M. W., & Stuart, S 2015, “Efficacy of yoga for depressed postpartum women: A randomized controlled trial,” Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 94–100 Davis, K., Goodman, S. H., Leiferman, J., Taylord, M., & Dimidjian, S 2015, “A randomized controlled trial of yoga for pregnant women with symptoms of depression and anxiety,” Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 166–172 De Manincor, M., Bensoussan, A., Smith, C., Fahey, P., & Bourchier, S 2014, “Establishing key components of yoga interventions for reducing depression and anxiety, and improving well-being: a Delphi method study,” BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 15, no. 85. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-015-0614-7 Field, T., Diegoa, M., Delgadoa, J., & Medina, L 2013, “Tai chi/yoga reduces prenatal depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances,” Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 6–10 Field, T., Diego, M., Delgado, J., & Medina, L 2013, “Yoga and social support reduce prenatal depression, anxiety and cortisol,” Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 397–403 Field, T., Diegoa, M., Hernandez-Reif, M., Medinaa, L., & Delgadoa, J 2012, “Yoga and massage therapy reduce prenatal depression and prematurity,” Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 204–209 Gaiswinklera, L., & Unterrainer, H. F 2016, “The relationship between yoga involvement, mindfulness and psychological well-being,” Complementary Therapies in Medicine, vol. 26, pp. 123–127 Kinser, P., Bourguignon, C., Whaley, D., Hauenstein, E., Taylor, A 2013, “Feasibility, acceptability, and effects of gentle hatha yoga for women with major depression: findings from a randomized controlled mixed-methods study,” Arch Psychiatr Nurs., vol. 27, no. 37–47. Sarubina, N., Nothdurftera, C., Schülec, C., Lieba, M., Uhrb, M., Bornc, C., Zimmermann, R., Bühnerd, M., Konopkaa, K., Rupprechta, R., & Baghaia, T. C 2014, “The influence of Hatha yoga as an add-on treatment in major depression on hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal-axis activity: A randomized trial,” Journal of Psychiatric Research, vol. 53, pp. 76–83 Satyapriya, M., Nagarathna, R., Padmalatha, V., & Nagendra, H. R 2013, “Effect of integrated yoga on anxiety, depression & well being in normal pregnancy,” Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 230–236 Schuver, K. J., & Lewis, B. A 2016, “Mindfulness-based yoga intervention for women with depression,” Complementary Therapies in Medicine, vol. 26, pp. 85–91 Uebelacker, L. A., Tremont, G., Epstein-Lubow, G., Gaudiano, B. A., Gillette, T., Kalibatseva, Z., & Miller, I. W 2010, “Open trial of Vinyasa yoga for persistently depressed individuals: evidence of feasibility and acceptability,” Behav Modif, vol. 34, no. 3, 247-64. Doi: 10.1177/0145445510368845. WHO 2015, Depression, viewed 5 September 2016 http://www.who.int/topics/depression/en/ Read More