Mantra Meditation in Major Depression

Diakonie Kliniken Zschadraß123 enrolled

Overview

To evaluate effects of mantra meditation on depressive symptoms if applied as adjunctive therapy to psychotherapy and/or antidepressant drugs and to explore if meditation leads to increased spirituality as a potential mediating factor of positive mental health.

Primary objective To measure the difference in efficacy between treatment as usual (TAU) + Mantra meditation (MAM) 20min per day and TAU + progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) 20min per day in the treatment of depressive symptoms in patients with Major Depression after inpatient treatment, after 3 months and after 6 months of treatment as assessed by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Secondary objectives (exploratory) 1. Differences between and within groups in self-rated depression, rumination, automatic negative thinking or trait-anxiety. 2. Differences between and within groups in measures of spirituality. 3. Correlation between measures of spirituality and change of psychometric scores. 4. Change in stress response and relaxation response after inpatient treatment, compared to baseline. 5. Difference in adherence and depth of practice between groups and within groups and correlation to psychometric outcomes.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

123

Conditions

Depression

Interventions

Mantra MeditationBEHAVIORAL

Silent mantra meditation with spiritual mantra

Progressive Muscle RelaxationBEHAVIORAL

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Inpatients of open psychiatric ward 2. Written informed consent by patients who are competent to consent to study participation 3. Diagnosis of current episode of major depression as defined by DSM-IV criteria and diagnosed via structured interview (SKID) by a trained psychiatrist or psychologist. DSM-IV codes: 296.22, 296.23, 296.32, 296.33. Corresponding ICD-10 codes: F32.1, F32.2, F33.1, F33.2. 4. Male or female ≥18 years of age 5. BDI-II \>= 20 6. Patients must be able to sit in a chair for at least 20 minutes 7. Patients live in the catchment area of the hospital Exclusion Criteria: Patients will be excluded for ANY ONE of the following reasons: 1. Any other current major psychiatric disorder is an exclusion criterion EXCEPT for the following: * Abuse of nicotine or dependence of nicotine; * Agoraphobia with or without Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Specific Phobia, Social Phobia * Hypochondriasis, Pain Disorder, Somatization Disorder, Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder * Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders * Eating disorders 2. Psychotic symptoms that are not compatible with diagnosis of unipolar depression 3. Acute suicidality 4. Diagnosis affecting cortisol levels such as type I diabetes mellitus, cancer, asthma, chronic hepatitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, or regular use of medications having an immuno-modulary effect (e.g. cytotoxic chemotherapy, corticosteroids, interferons); 5. Current practice of other forms of Mantra repetition such as the rosary, chanting, or Transcendental Meditation 6. Current participation in another trial

Locations (1)

Diakoniekliniken Zschadraß

Colditz, Saxony, Germany

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

MADRS / SIGMA

The clinician-rated Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) \[reproduced in the Appendix to this chapter\] was developed in the late 1970s (Montgomery \& Asberg, 1979) and this 10-item scale was designed to be sensitive to the effects of antidepressant medications, primarily tricyclic antidepressants. One of the original goals of the MADRS was to obtain an instrument that could be used by both psychiatrists and professionals without a specific or with minimal psychiatric training. From the original report of the MADRS, the inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.89 to 0.97. However, in a German study, significant differences resulted when the same patient was rated by various groups of caregivers (as described in Cusin, Yang, Yeung, \& Fava, 2010). Hence, a structured interview guide (SIGMA) that has been developed for the MADRS (Williams, Kobak, \& Montgomery, 2008) will be used in this study by trained psychologists exclusively.

Time frame: 6 months

Secondary Outcomes

STAI-T

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is an introspective psychological inventory consisting of 40 self-report items pertaining to anxiety affect. The STAI was constructed by Charles Spielberger, R.L. Gorsuch, and R.E. Lushene, based on the state-trait distinction proposed by Raymond Cattell in 1961. Their goal was to compile a set of items that could measure anxiety at both poles of the normal affect curve (state vs. trait). The STAI purports to measure one's conscious awareness at two extremes of anxiety affect, labeled state anxiety (A-state), and trait anxiety (A-trait), respectively. Affectivity ranges from immediate, transitory emotional states, through longer-lasting mood states, through dynamic motivational traits, ranging all the way up to relatively enduring personality traits. Higher STAI scores suggest higher levels of anxiety (C D Spielberger \& Sydeman, 1994; Charles D Spielberger, 1987).

Time frame: 6 months

PTQ

The PTQ (Ehring et al., 2011) is a 15-item questionnaire assessing the tendency to engage in repetitive negative thinking independent of a disorder-specific content. Items are rated on a scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (almost always). The PTQ consists of three subscales: Core features of repetitive negative thinking, perceived unproductiveness of repetitive negative thinking , and repetitive negative thinking capturing mental capacity (sample item: 'My thoughts prevent me from focusing on other things'.). Confirmatory factor analysis provides support for a 3-factor solution. Assessment of the psychometric properties of the PTQ, including the Dutch version (Ehring, Raes, Weidacker, \& Emmelkamp, 2012), has demonstrated high internal consistency (a = .93-.95), acceptable test-retest reliability (r = .69-.75), good convergent validity as well as good predictive validity in the prediction of symptom levels of anxiety and depression.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.