Expectant moms who have suffered with depression are about 40 percent less likely to relapse during pregnancy if they practice mindfulness techniques — such as meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises — along with cognitive therapy.
That’s the conclusion of new research by the University of Colorado Boulder published in the journal Archives of Women's Mental Health.
Nearly one in three pregnant women with a history of depression becomes depressed in the months before and after birth. In the new study, researchers found that participation in a mindfulness-based therapy program reduced the relapse rate to 18 percent.
"It's important for pregnant women who are at high risk of depression to have options for treatment and prevention," said lead researcher Sona Dimidjian, an associate professor in CU-Boulder's Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. "For some women, anti-depressant medication is truly a lifesaver, but for others, concerns about side effects and possible impacts to fetal development may cause them to prefer a non-pharmacological intervention."
Mindfulness therapy has been shown to be effective at preventing recurrent episodes of depression in the general population. But few studies of any kind have looked at the effect of non-drug therapies and interventions among pregnant women, in part because it's difficult to recruit participants for the study within the relatively short time period of pregnancy.
For the current study, funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health, 42 women in Colorado and Georgia with at least one prior episode of major depression took an eight-session class during their pregnancies. During class and in homework assignments, the women worked to develop mindfulness skills.
Lessons included prenatal yoga, walking meditation exercises, and shorter practices that could be easily integrated into the busy lives of new moms. The lessons also specifically addressed worry, which can be an overwhelming emotion during.
The research team surveyed the women for symptoms of depression during their pregnancy and through six months postpartum.
In addition to finding the approach markedly reduced the rate of depression relapses, a high percentage of the women who began the courses completed the study, a sign that the women found the sessions valuable, Dimidjian said.
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