Depression is epidemic. It’s been estimated to affect one in ten Americans at one point or another. Eleven percent of adolescents in the United States experience a depressive episode before the age of 18. If that isn’t bad enough somewhere up to 15% of those who are clinically depressed die by suicide.
The most common treatment for depression is antidepressant drugs. But they are not always effective, can actually increase the risk of suicide, and often have troubling side effects. As a result there is an ongoing search for alternative treatments for depression.
Recently, meditation, particularly in the form of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has emerged as a viable alternative treatment. There is also interest in another form of meditation, Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM). In depression, the individual is usually very unhappy with themselves and their lives regardless of the actual conditions. LKM has been shown to help the individual show compassion and understanding toward themselves and others. It has also been shown to improve mood. Hence, LKM would appear to be well suited as a treatment for depression.
In addition, we recently posted a discussion of some research that LKM improves social interactions. https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1043328429024416/?type=1&theater
In depression, the individual frequently withdraws from social contact. This removes from the individual compassionate social contact that is actually essential for healing. So, LKM, again appears on the surface to have potential for the treatment of depression.
In today’s Research News article “Loving-Kindness Meditation to Target Affect in Mood Disorders: A Proof-of-Concept Study”
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2015/269126/
Hofmann and colleagues pilot the use of LKM for the treatment of depression and found very promising results. They found large, clinically significant effects of LKM in reducing both self-reported and clinician-reported depression. In addition LKM reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions, increased emotion regulation, and markedly decreased the rumination that is so characteristic of depression.
These pilot results are exciting. They certainly stand as strong justification for a controlled trial being conducted in the future. LKM by having the individual wish themselves and others well repeatedly appears to improve self-compassion and compassion for others. It is impossible to have true compassion for oneself and at the same time not like oneself. This would seem to be a wonderful antidote for the issues present in depression.
So, practice Loving-Kindness Meditation and get out of the dumps.
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies
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