Meditation not medication?
02 Dec 08
Source: Press Association
A study suggests that group psychology involving Buddhist meditation techniques could be more effective than medication for treating depression in the long term.
The approach is known as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). It emphasises focusing on the present instead of dwelling on the past or planning the future.
Fifteen months after an eight-week trial, 47% of people with long-term depression who underwent the therapy suffered a relapse, compared to 60% of those taking anti-depressant drugs.
Professor Willem Kuyken, from the Mood Disorders Centre at the University of Exeter, said MBCT could shorten NHS waiting lists for psychological therapies, since one psychologist could treat a whole group of people.
3.5 million people are reported to be suffering from depression in the UK.