Yoga and physical exercise - a review and comparison.

Yoga is a multifaceted spiritual tool with enhanced health and well-being as one of its positive effects. The components of yoga which are very commonly applied for health benefits are asanas (physical postures), pranayama (regulated breathing) and meditation. In the context of asanas, yoga resembles more of a physical exercise, which may lead to the perception that yoga is another kind of physical exercise. This article aims at exploring the commonalities and differences between yoga and physical exercise in terms of concepts, possible mechanisms and effectiveness for health benefits. A narrative review is undertaken based on traditional and contemporary literature for yoga, along with scientific articles available on yoga and exercise including head-to-head comparative trials with healthy volunteers and patients with various disease conditions. Physical exercises and the physical components of yoga practices have several similarities, but also important differences. Evidence suggests that yoga interventions appear to be equal and/or superior to exercise in most outcome measures. Emphasis on breath regulation, mindfulness during practice, and importance given to maintenance of postures are some of the elements which differentiate yoga practices from physical exercises.

Designing and validation of a yoga-based intervention for obsessive compulsive disorder.

Some yoga-based practices have been found to be useful for patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The authors could not find a validated yoga therapy module available for OCD. This study attempted to formulate a generic yoga-based intervention module for OCD. A yoga module was designed based on traditional and contemporary yoga literature. The module was sent to 10 yoga experts for content validation. The experts rated the usefulness of the practices on a scale of 1-5 (5 = extremely useful). The final version of the module was pilot-tested on patients with OCD (n = 17) for both feasibility and effect on symptoms. Eighty-eight per cent (22 out of 25) of the items in the initial module were retained, with modifications in the module as suggested by the experts along with patients' inputs and authors' experience. The module was found to be feasible and showed an improvement in symptoms of OCD on total Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) score (p = 0.001). A generic yoga therapy module for OCD was validated by experts in the field and found feasible to practice in patients. A decrease in the symptom scores was also found following yoga practice of 2 weeks. Further clinical validation is warranted to confirm efficacy.

TimelinePTC: Development of a unified interface for pathways to care collection, visualization, and collaboration in first episode psychosis.

This paper presents TimelinePTC, a web-based tool developed to improve the collection and analysis of Pathways to Care (PTC) data in first episode psychosis (FEP) research. Accurately measuring the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is essential for effective FEP treatment, requiring detailed understanding of the patient's journey to care. However, traditional PTC data collection methods, mainly manual and paper-based, are time-consuming and often fail to capture the full complexity of care pathways. TimelinePTC addresses these limitations by providing a digital platform for collaborative, real-time data entry and visualization, thereby enhancing data accuracy and collection efficiency. Initially created for the Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis (STEP) program in New Haven, Connecticut, its design allows for straightforward adaptation to other healthcare contexts, facilitated by its open-source codebase. The tool significantly simplifies the data collection process, making it more efficient and user-friendly. It automates the conversion of collected data into a format ready for analysis, reducing manual transcription errors and saving time. By enabling more detailed and consistent data collection, TimelinePTC has the potential to improve healthcare access research, supporting the development of targeted interventions to reduce DUP and improve patient outcomes.

Cariprazine in the acute treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cariprazine has emerged as a promising augmenting treatment agent for unipolar depression and as a monotherapy option for bipolar depression. We evaluated cariprazine's efficacy in treating acute major depressive episodes in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted on MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and ScanMedicine. Study quality was assessed using the RoB 2 tool. Pairwise and dose-response meta-analyses were conducted with RStudio. Evidence quality was assessed with GRADE. RESULTS: Nine RCTs meeting inclusion criteria encompassed 4889 participants. Cariprazine, compared to placebo, significantly reduced the MADRS score (MD = -1.49, 95 % CI: -2.22 to -0.76) and demonstrated significantly higher response (RR = 1.21, 95 % CI: 1.12 to 1.30) and remission (RR = 1.19, 95 % CI: 1.06 to 1.34) rates. Subgroup analysis unveiled statistically significant reductions in MADRS score in MDD (MD = -1.15, 95 % CI: -2.04 to -0.26) and bipolar I disorder (BDI) (MD = -2.53, 95 % CI: -3.61 to -1.45), higher response rates for both MDD (RR = 1.19, 95 % CI: 1.08 to 1.31) and BDI (RR = 1.27, 95 % CI: 1.10 to 1.46), and higher remission rates only for BDI (RR = 1.41, 95 % CI: 1.24 to 1.60). A higher rate of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events was observed. LIMITATIONS: Reliance solely on RCTs limits generalisability; strict criteria might not reflect real-world diversity. CONCLUSIONS: Cariprazine demonstrates efficacy in treating major depressive episodes, although variations exist between MDD and BDI and tolerability may be an issue.

The Anomalous Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions on the Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP).

We investigated the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). First-episode psychosis admissions (n=101) to STEP Clinic in Connecticut showed DUP reduction (p=.0015) in the pandemic, with the median reducing from 208 days during the pre-pandemic to 56 days in the early pandemic period and subsequently increasing to 154 days (p=.0281). Time from psychosis onset to anti-psychotic prescription decreased significantly in the pandemic (p=.0183), with the median falling from 117 to 35 days. This cohort study demonstrates an association between greater pandemic restrictions and marked DUP reduction and provides insights for future early detection efforts.

The impact of early detection (ED) campaigns on care presentations: Beyond DUP reduction.

We examined the effects of an early detection (ED) campaign (Mindmap), that successfully shortened the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), on patient presentation profiles at two receiving coordinated specialty care (CSC) services. Data were collected between 2015 and 2019 during a test of ED delivered at one CSC (STEP, n = 147) compared to usual detection at another CSC (PREP, n = 63). Regression models were used to test the effects of ED and DUP on presentation. Before the launch of ED, there were no differences in presentation between STEP and PREP. However, the ED changed the profile of presentations to STEP such that patients were admitted with better negative and total symptoms scores, but worse GAF current and GAF social and with a greater decline in function over the prior year (GAF-Δ). Site-by-time interaction effects were not significant. During the campaign years, STEP vs. PREP recruited patients with better negative and total symptoms, GAF role, and pre-morbid adjustment scores but with worse positive symptoms, GAF current, and GAF-Δ. Nonetheless, mediation analysis revealed that DUP reduction accounted for very little (<8 %) of these differences in presentation. Early detection campaigns while successfully reducing access delays, can have salutary effects on presentation independent of DUP reduction.

Long-term Add-on Yoga Therapy Modulates Oxidative Stress Pathway and Offers Clinical Benefits in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Yoga therapy (YT) as an adjunct treatment has reportedly been demonstrated to offer clinical benefits in major depressive disorder (MDD). Although a few biological pathways are suggested to mediate the effects of yoga, the precise mechanistic basis remains unknown. Oxidative stress pathway activation has consistently been linked to the pathobiology of MDD. Whether YT has a modulatory effect on the oxidative stress pathway in MDD is not adequately understood. Aim and Objectives: In this study, we examined the impact of a course (3 months) of yoga as an add on therapy on the markers of the oxidative stress pathway in MDD patients. Methods: Thirty-three MDD patients were randomized to the YT (n = 16) and waitlist control (WC) (n = 17) groups. Colorimetric estimation of the plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant (AO) levels was performed in all the study participants using commercially available kits at the baseline and after 3 months. Results: A significant reduction of plasma MDA levels was observed in MDD patients of YT group (P = 0.05) after 3 months of YT. Notably, the plasma MDA levels also decreased in MDD patients of WC group (P = 0.015) after the trial period. In addition, levels of total AO showed a trend toward significance only in MDD patients after 3 months of YT (P = 0.07). Conclusion: The current study suggests that the benefits of YT might be mediated through its modulatory role on the oxidative stress pathway in MDD.

Adjunct yoga therapy: Influence on heart rate variability in major depressive disorder - A randomized controlled trial.

HRV is inversely proportional to severity of depression. Effect of 12-weeks adjunct yoga therapy on HRV in patients with MDD was assessed through a randomized controlled trial. Sixty-eight subjects (40 females) with mean age 31.58 ± 8.79 years, scoring ≥ 18 on HDRS were randomized to either (YG; n = 35) or (WG; n = 33). Linear mixed model analysis showed no significant difference between groups. On comparing change in mean percentage, substantial more decrease could be elicited only for LF/HF ratio in YG compared to WG, while being comparable for other variables across the groups. Findings suggest Yoga therapy may help in bringing parasympathetic dominance in patients with MDD.

Impact of lifestyle modification on some components of metabolic syndrome in persons with severe mental disorders: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is reportedly associated with high mortality from mostly cardiovascular causes in patients with severe mental disorders (SMD). Lifestyle interventions augment effective management of MS in patients with SMD. The present meta-analysis aims at updating the recent evidence on the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention for MS in patients with SMD. METHOD: A literature search for English Language publications of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from 2001 to 2016 comparing lifestyle modification (LM) with treatment as usual (TAU) in the management of MS were identified. Using PRISMA guidelines, 19 RCTs reporting data on 1688 SMD and MS patients and providing data on change in Body Weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were included. Using random effects model, standardized mean difference between LM and TAU for the mean baseline-to-endpoint change in body weight, BMI and WC was calculated with a 95% confidence limit, on RevMan 5.3. The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42016046847). RESULTS: LM had significantly superior efficacy in the reducing weight (-0.64, 95% CI -0.89, -0.39, Z = 5.03, overall effect p < 0.00001), BMI (-0.68, 95% CI -1.01, -0.35, Z = 4.05, overall effect p < 0.0001), and WC (-0.60, 95% CI -1.17, -0.03, Z = 2.06; overall effect p = 0.04), compared to TAU. LM was significantly more effective than TAU even in short duration (p = 0.0001) and irrespective of the treatment setting. CONCLUSION: Interventions targeting LM in persons with SMD and MS are effective in reducing body weight, BMI and WC. It must be routinely recommended to all patients with SMD, ideally during commencement stage of second generation antipsychotic treatment.