Results of a clinical trial published Wednesday in the JAMA Psychiatry journal found that mindfulness-based stress reduction mediation had comparable effectiveness compared with common anxiety medication Lexapro.
Overall, 276 adults with anxiety disorders participated in the trial. They went through either an eight-week treatment meditation or 10 to 20 mg of escitalopram (sold under the brand name Lexapro), a first-line selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medication.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine,” that can “produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind.”
There are a variety of meditation types, including some associated with Upanishadic spiritual practices and even mobile apps that offer meditation guides. For the recent study, researchers focused on mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation.
Escitalopram “works by increasing the amount of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that helps maintain mental balance,” per the National Library of Medicine. Doctors may prescribe an initial low dose of the medication for one week before increasing it, and it may also take four weeks or longer before patients begin to feel the benefit of the treatment.
A message from the National Library of Medicine warned patients under age 24 who took medications such as escitalopram became suicidal.
“In this study, mindfulness-based stress reduction was a well-tolerated treatment option with comparable effectiveness to a first-line medication for patients with anxiety disorders,” said researchers who conducted the recent trial.
Patients were recruited for the trial between June 2018 and February 2020 and 208 completed the full trial length.
Previous research has also indicated the mental health benefits of meditation.
For example, a 2011 study found that “cognitive therapy combined with daily practice of meditation, yoga, and other health-enhancing behaviors can be as effective as long-term antidepressant medication alone in preventing relapse in patients who have had several bouts of major depression.”
To meditate, people focus their attention and aim to calm “the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress,” the Mayo Clinic explained of the process. Meditation is a low-cost way to help mitigate stress and can be practiced even when on medication for anxiety and other disorders.
More information about the mindfulness-based stress reduction technique used for the recent trial is available through Yale School of Medicine.
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