Cost-effectiveness of a mindful yoga intervention added to treatment as usual for young women with major depressive disorder versus treatment as usual only: Cost-effectiveness of yoga for young women with depression.

In a randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands, we studied the (cost)effectiveness of adding a mindful yoga intervention (MYI+TAU) to treatment as usual (TAU) for young women with major depressive disorder (MDD). In this paper, we present the results of the economic analyses. Societal costs and health outcomes were prospectively assessed during 15 months for all randomized participants (n = 171). Symptoms of depression (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales; DASS) and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) were used as health outcomes in the economic analyses. Mean total societal costs during the 15 months of the study were €11.966 for the MYI+TAU group and €13.818 for the TAU group, differences in mean total societal costs were not statistically significant. Health outcomes (DASS and QALY) were slightly in favour of MYI+TAU, but differences between groups were not statistically significant. Combining costs and health outcomes in cost-effectiveness analyses indicated that MYI+TAU is likely to be cost-effective compared to TAU which was confirmed by sensitivity analyses. Although there were limitations in the cost-effectiveness analysis, findings from this study suggest that MYI+TAU warrants future attention for the potential to be cost-effective compared to TAU for young women with MDD.

Mindful yoga intervention as add-on to treatment as usual for young women with major depressive disorder: Results from a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the added value of a 9-week mindful yoga intervention (MYI) as add-on to treatment as usual (TAU) in reducing depression for young women (18-34 years) with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHOD: Randomized controlled trial (RCT; n = 171) comparing TAU + MYI with TAU-only. Assessments were at baseline, postintervention, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Primary outcome measures were clinician-rated and self-reported symptoms of depression, together with a diagnostic interview to establish MDD diagnosis that was restricted to the baseline and 12-month follow-up assessments. Quality of life in various domains was assessed as secondary outcome measure. As potential mediators for treatment efficacy, we included self-report measures of rumination, self-criticism, self-compassion, intolerance of uncertainty, perceived body awareness and dispositional mindfulness, together with behavioral measures of attentional bias (AB) and depression-related self-associations. RESULTS: Adding MYI to TAU did not lead to greater reduction of depression symptoms, lower rate of MDD diagnosis or increase in quality of life in various domains of functioning at post and follow-up assessments. There were no indirect effects through any of the potential mediators, with the exception of self-compassion. CONCLUSION: Adding MYI to TAU appeared not more efficacious than TAU-only in reducing depression symptoms in young women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Feasibility of a Manualized Mindful Yoga Intervention for Patients With Chronic Mood Disorders.

Chronic mood disorders pose an important mental health problem. Individuals with these disorders experience a significant impairment, often fail to seek help, and their illnesses frequently do not respond to treatment. It is therefore important to develop innovative and attractive treatments for these disorders. Mindful yoga represents a promising treatment approach. This pilot study tested the feasibility of a 9-week manualized mindful yoga intervention for patients with chronic mood disorders. Eleven patients receiving standard treatment were recruited to complete a 9-week mindful yoga intervention. Qualitative methods were used to assess patients' experiences of the intervention and quantitative methods were used to assess psychological distress and mechanisms that play a role in chronic mood disorders. Eight patients completed the intervention and rated the overall quality of the intervention with a mean score of 8.8 (range of 8 to 9, using a scale of 1 to 10). All participants reported a reduction in psychological distress and no adverse events. Among the mechanisms that play a role in chronic mood disorders, the most potentially promising effects from the intervention were found for worry, fear of depression and anxiety, rumination, and areas related to body awareness, such as trusting bodily experiences and not distracting from sensations of discomfort. A 9-week mindful yoga intervention appears to be a feasible and attractive treatment when added to treatment as usual for a group of patients with chronic mood disorders. A randomized controlled trial to study the effects of mindful yoga is recommended.

The Interpersonal Mindfulness Program for Health Care Professionals: a Feasibility Study.

Objectives: There are a number of mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) that have demonstrated effectiveness for patients and health care professionals. The Interpersonal Mindfulness Program (IMP) is a relatively new MBP, developed to teach those with prior mindfulness training to deepen their mindful presence, empathy and compassion in the interpersonal domain. The aim of the present study was to examine the feasibility of using the IMP with mental health care workers and assessing its effects on levels of mindfulness, self-compassion, empathy, stress and professional quality of life when compared with the control group participants. Methods: The IMP training consisted of nine weekly 2.5-h sessions and daily home practice (45-60 min). Twenty-five participants (mean age, 51.4 years) with mindfulness experience participated in the training. Twenty-two individuals in the control group (mean age, 47.5 years) were recruited from those who had followed a mindfulness training before. Feasibility of the IMP was assessed in the training participants in six domains. All study participants completed self-report questionnaires before and after the training. Results: The IMP training was considered highly acceptable and very useful. The training had a significant positive effect on self-compassion, empathy and compassion fatigue, but no effect on mindfulness, stress and compassion satisfaction. Five participants reported some mild adverse reactions. Conclusions: The IMP training appears feasible for health care professionals and seems to induce some positive effects. A few mild adverse effects were reported. Further research on the effectiveness and possible mechanisms of change of the IMP training in larger samples is needed.

A mindful yoga intervention for young women with major depressive disorder: Design and baseline sample characteristics of a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the gains made by current first-line interventions for major depressive disorder (MDD), modest rates of treatment response and high relapse indicate the need to augment existing interventions. Following theory and initial research indicating the promise of mindful yoga interventions (MYIs), this study examines mindful yoga as a treatment of MDD. METHODS/DESIGN: This randomized controlled trial uses a sample of young females (18-34 years) to examine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a 9-week manualized MYI added to treatment as usual (TAU) versus TAU alone. Primary outcome measures consist of clinician-administered (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) and self-report (Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scales) measures of depression. Underlying mechanisms will be examined, including rumination, negative self-evaluation, intolerance of uncertainty, interoceptive awareness, and dispositional mindfulness. Assessments were conducted at preintervention and will be conducted at postintervention, 6-, and 12-month follow up. RESULTS: The baseline sample consists of 171 females (88 were randomized into the MYI), reporting a baseline Mage = 25.08 years (SDage = 4.64), MHamilton-depression = 18.39 (SDHamilton = 6.00), and a MDASS-depression = 21.02 (SDDASS = 9.36). CONCLUSION: This trial will provide important information regarding the benefits of adding yoga-based interventions to TAU for young women with MDD and the mechanisms through which such benefits may occur.

Hatha yoga for acute, chronic and/or treatment-resistant mood and anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to systematically investigate the effectiveness of hatha yoga in treating acute, chronic and/or treatment-resistant mood and anxiety disorders. METHODS: Medline, Cochrane Library, Current Controlled Trials, Clinical Trials.gov, NHR Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, PsycINFO and CINAHL were searched through June 2018. Randomized controlled trials with patients with mood and anxiety disorders were included. Main outcomes were continuous measures of severity of mood and anxiety symptoms. Cohen's d was calculated as a measure of effect size. Meta-analyses using a random effects model was applied to estimate direct comparisons between yoga and control conditions for depression and anxiety outcomes. Publication bias was visually inspected using funnel plots. RESULTS: Eighteen studies were found, fourteen in acute patients and four in chronic patients. Most studies were of low quality. For depression outcomes, hatha yoga did not show a significant effect when compared to treatment as usual, an overall effect size of Cohen's d -0.64 (95% CI = -1.41, 0.13) or to all active control groups, Cohen's d -0.13 (95% CI = -0.49, 0.22). A sub-analysis showed that yoga had a significant effect on the reduction of depression compared to psychoeducation control groups, Cohen's d -0.52 (95% CI = -0.96, -0.08) but not to other active control groups, Cohen's d 0.28 (95% CI = -0.07, 0.63) For studies using a follow-up of six months or more, hatha yoga had no effect on the reduction of depression compared to active control groups, Cohen's d -0.14 (95% CI = -0.60, 0.33). Regarding anxiety, hatha yoga had no significant effect when compared to active control groups, Cohen's d -0.09 (95% CI = -0.47, 0.30). The I2 and Q-statistic revealed heterogeneity amongst comparisons. Qualitative analyses suggest some promise of hatha yoga for chronic populations. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to draw firm conclusions is limited by the notable heterogeneity and low quality of most of the included studies. With this caveat in mind, the results of the current meta-analysis suggest that hatha yoga does not have effects on acute, chronic and/or treatment-resistant mood and anxiety disorders compared to treatment as usual or active control groups. However, when compared to psychoeducation, hatha yoga showed more reductions in depression. It is clear that more high-quality studies are needed to advance the field.

Natural Medicines for Psychotic Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Patients with psychotic disorders regularly use natural medicines, although it is unclear whether these are effective and safe. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of evidence for improved outcomes by natural medicines. A systematic literature search was performed through Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane until May 2015. In 110 randomized controlled trials, evidence was found for glycine, sarcosine, N-acetylcysteine, some Chinese and ayurvedic herbs, ginkgo biloba, estradiol, and vitamin B6 to improve psychotic symptoms when added to antipsychotics. Ginkgo biloba and vitamin B6 seemed to reduce tardive dyskinesia and akathisia. Results on other compounds were negative or inconclusive. All natural agents, except reserpine, were well tolerated. Most study samples were small, study periods were generally short, and most results need replication. However, there is some evidence for beneficial effects of certain natural medicines.

Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Stress Relief Program for Depression*. A Replicated Single-Subject Design

BACKGROUND: Depressive disorders often have a chronic course and the efficacy of evidence-based treatments may be overestimated. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of the Heart Rate Variability Stress Reduction Program (SRP) as a supplement to standard treatment in patients with depressive disorders. METHODS: The SRP was individually administered in eight weekly sessions. Seven participants completed the full protocol and were enrolled in a single-subject ABA multiple baseline experimental design. To perform interrupted time-series analyses, daily measures were completed in a diary (depression, resilience, happiness, heart coherence and a personalized outcome measure). RESULTS: Five out of seven patients improved in depressed mood and/or a personalized outcome measure. The effect of treatment was reversed in four patients during the withdrawal phase. One patient reliably improved on depression, whereas two patients recovered on autonomy and one on social optimism. No consistent relationship was found between the heart rate variability-related level of coherence and self-reported mood levels. CONCLUSIONS: The SRP is beneficial in some domains and for some patients. A prolonged treatment or continued home practice may be required for enduring effects. The intervention had more clinical impact on resilience-related outcome measures than on symptoms. The small sample size does not permit generalization of the results. We recommend future investigation of the underlying mechanisms of the SRP.

A Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living Training in a Heterogeneous Sample of Psychiatric Outpatients: a Feasibility Study.

We developed a novel compassion-focused training (mindfulness-based compassionate living; MBCL) and examined its effects in a heterogeneous psychiatric outpatient population with regard to feasibility and changes in levels of depression, anxiety, mindfulness and compassion. The training consisted of nine weekly 2.5-h sessions. Thirty-three patients, who had followed a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program or a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program beforehand, participated in the study (mean age 48.1 years; 82 % female). Participants completed self-report questionnaires before and directly after the MBCL training. Levels of depression, but not of anxiety, reduced, and levels of mindfulness and self-compassion increased. Serious limitations of this study are the small sample size, the lack of a control group and the fact that about half of the participants did not complete the posttraining questionnaires. However, we determined that it is feasible to conduct further research on this novel MBCL training program as a basis for more robust empirical investigation in the future, more specifically examining the effects of MBCL and preferably also the underlying working mechanisms.

Cannabis use in people with severe mental illness: The association with physical and mental health--a cohort study. A Pharmacotherapy Monitoring and Outcome Survey study.

OBJECTIVE: In the general population cannabis use is associated with better cardiometabolic outcomes. Patients with severe mental illness frequently use cannabis, but also present increased cardiometabolic risk factors. We explore the association between cannabis use and cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with severe mental illness. METHOD: A total of 3169 patients with severe mental illness from a Dutch cohort were included in the study. The association of cannabis use with body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, glycated hemoglobin and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale was examined with separate univariate AN(C)OVA. Changes in metabolic risk factors and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were examined after a follow-up interval of 9-24 months, for patients who continued, discontinued, started or were never using cannabis between the two assessments. RESULTS: Cannabis users at baseline had lower body mass index, smaller waist circumference, lower diastolic blood pressure, and more severe psychotic symptoms than non-users. Patients who discontinued their cannabis use after the first assessment had a greater increase in body mass index, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure and triglyceride concentrations than other patients, and the severity of their psychotic symptoms had decreased more compared to continued users and non-users. CONCLUSION: Extra attention should be paid to the monitoring and treatment of metabolic parameters in patients who discontinue their cannabis use.

Pitfalls in the assessment, analysis, and interpretation of routine outcome monitoring (ROM) Data: results from an outpatient clinic for integrative mental health.

There is considerable debate about routine outcome monitoring (ROM) for scientific or benchmarking purposes. We discuss pitfalls associated with the assessment, analysis, and interpretation of ROM data, using data of 376 patients. 206 patients (55 %) completed one or more follow-up measurements. Mixed-model analysis showed significant improvement in symptomatology, quality of life, and autonomy, and differential improvement for different subgroups. Effect sizes were small to large, depending on the outcome measure and subgroup. Subtle variations in analytic strategies influenced effect sizes substantially. We illustrate how problems inherent to design and analysis of ROM data prevent drawing conclusions about (comparative) treatment effectiveness.

Mindfulness training in a heterogeneous psychiatric sample: outcome evaluation and comparison of different diagnostic groups.

OBJECTIVES: To examine outcome after mindfulness training in a heterogeneous psychiatric outpatient population and to compare outcome in different diagnostic groups. METHOD: One hundred and forty-three patients in 5 diagnostic categories completed questionnaires about psychological symptoms, quality of life, and mindfulness skills prior to and immediately after treatment. RESULTS: The mixed patient group as a whole improved significantly on all outcome measures. Differential improvement was found for different diagnostic categories with respect to psychological symptoms and quality of life: Bipolar patients did not improve significantly on these measures. This finding could be explained by longer illness duration and lower baseline severity in the bipolar category. CONCLUSION: Mindfulness training is associated with overall improvement in a heterogeneous outpatient population. Differences in outcome between diagnostic categories may be ascribed to differences in illness duration and baseline severity.

Melting down the Ice Queen: an integrative treatment of anorexia nervosa.

A 23-year-old woman with anorexia nervosa (AN) and a strong need for control was offered an integrative treatment, empowering the patient to be an active participant and advocating shared decision-making. To emphasise this, both the therapist and patient describe their views on the therapy. The integrative treatment resulted in more psychological flexibility and behavioural improvements, as is evident from an increased weight, a decreased dietary restriction and an increased valued action. The strength of this integrative treatment is based on accepting and encouraging patient's self-chosen treatment method, within healthy limits, and thereby creating a flexible, supportive and empowering therapeutic alliance. More research is needed to test the efficacy of combining complementary therapies within conventional treatments of AN.