Regular yoga can help reduce depression, study finds, as experts call for it to be prescribed on NHS
More than 264 million people are living with depression, according to the World Health Organisation
ByJamie Johnson18 May 2020 • 11:30pm
The higher the number of weekly yoga sessions completed, the greater the effect on reducing depressive symptoms, the researchers said CREDIT: Martin Morrell
Regular yoga can help reduce depression for people with other mental health disorders, a new study has found, as experts call for the exercise to be clinically prescribed on the NHS.
The findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, are based on a systematic review and data analysis of 13 studies with 632 participants.
The effects were most noticeable for people with depression and schizophrenia, and to some extent, alcohol misuse, the scientists said.
Heather Mason, founder of The Minded Institute, which develops yoga therapy to alleviate physical and mental health conditions believes that the discipline should be elevated by the NHS, so that patients can be referred for tailored courses.
More than 264 million people are living with depression, according to the World Health Organisation.
Depressive symptoms often appear alongside other mental health issues, such as generalised anxiety and psychotic disorders.
Lead author Jacinta Brinsley, from the University of South Australia, along with an international team of researchers, analysed the effects of yoga on a range of mental health disorders including depression, generalised anxiety, mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, panic disorders and substance misuse.
On average, each weekly yoga session lasted between 20 and 90 minutes over a period of around two and a half months and included breathing exercises, mindfulness and moving postures.
Yoga was found to have a moderate effect in reducing depressive symptoms when compared with usual, no, or self-help treatments for depression.
The higher the number of weekly yoga sessions completed, the greater the effect on reducing depressive symptoms, the researchers said.
The team wrote: "Consideration of yoga as an evidence based exercise modality alongside conventional forms of exercise is warranted, given the positive results of this review."
They added: "Yoga may provide an additional or alternative strategy to engage people experiencing depression in meaningful physical activity."
This is not the first study to show the benefits of yoga for mental health.
Last year, Harvard scientists found that half an hour of exercise a day, including yoga, can lower the risk of depression by 17 per cent, in a study of nearly 8,000 people.
The Telegraph understands that senior NHS staff are looking at adding yoga to their list of psychological therapy treatments, but that it would have to be approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, who provide guidance.
At the moment, it is only “socially prescribed” - where GPs, nurses and other primary care professionals can refer patients to a range of local, non-clinical services.
But Ms Mason thinks the NHS should go further.
“There is a growing recognition that this is something that needs to happen,” she said.
“I would like to see an initiative where people are prescribed into yoga classes which are bespoke for mental health issues, including depression.
“In countries where there has been integration, like Sweden, it has been shown to be beneficial.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said they were looking at updating their guidelines to include yoga as a form of clinical treatment for depression, but there is no set date for the final guidance to be published.