Summary: Researchers report yoga could be beneficial in reducing some of the symptoms of GAD.
Source: Georgia State University.
Yoga could help reduce symptoms for people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, according to a study published by Georgia State University researchers in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy.
The research focuses on the effects of yoga on three people with the disorder and whether or not yoga could be helpful and serve as an alternative or additional treatment option.
“When people have this diagnosis, they worry a lot–uncontrollably–about the future, which causes physical symptoms like muscle tension and trouble sleeping, and their lives and their relationships are impaired because of it,” said Jessica Morgan Goodnight, former graduate student at Georgia State and lead author on the study. “Psychotherapy usually works really well for anxiety disorders, but it doesn’t seem to work as well for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.”
The researchers found yoga tended to reduce worry, the main symptom of the disorder.
“Two participants showed decreases in daily worry ratings after they started yoga and reported less worry on a daily basis,” said Goodnight. “The third participant was steadily increasing worry before starting yoga, but the increasing trend ended and began leveling out after she started practicing yoga.”
The findings show yoga has some promise in helping people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder reduce their symptoms. The researchers say pilot studies like this pave the way for more conclusive research to be conducted in the future.
“It’s nice to provide options for people with mental health conditions to try to reduce their symptoms and increase the quality of their lives,” said Goodnight. “My research is a first step showing yoga could be an option for people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Source: Brian Mullen – Georgia State University
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Abstract for “A Case Series on the Effects of Kripalu Yoga for Generalized Anxiety Disorder” by Jessica R. Morgan, MA, Marlysa Sullivan, MPT, Akihiko Masuda, PhD, Erin Tully, PhD, Lindsey L. Cohen, PhD, and Page L. Anderson, PhD in International Journal of Yoga Therapy. Published online October 2016 doi:10.17761/1531-2054.0.0.000
[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]Georgia State University “Can Yoga Help People With Generalized Anxiety Disorder?.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 7 October 2016.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/yoga-gad-psychology-5234/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]Georgia State University (2016, October 7). Can Yoga Help People With Generalized Anxiety Disorder?. NeuroscienceNew. Retrieved October 7, 2016 from https://neurosciencenews.com/yoga-gad-psychology-5234/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]Georgia State University “Can Yoga Help People With Generalized Anxiety Disorder?.” https://neurosciencenews.com/yoga-gad-psychology-5234/ (accessed October 7, 2016).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]
Abstract
A Case Series on the Effects of Kripalu Yoga for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder associated with substantial impairment and poor treatment response. Yoga influences processes that are linked to the maintenance of GAD including mindfulness, anxiety, and heart rate variability, but has yet to be evaluated among people with the disorder. The present study is a first step toward documenting the efficacy of yoga for reducing worry among people with GAD using a single-subject AB design case series and daily ratings of worry. Standardized self-report measures of worry, trait anxiety, experiential avoidance, mindfulness, and heart rate variability were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Three participants with primary GAD received eight twice-weekly Kripalu yoga sessions following a baseline data collection period. All participants showed systematic improvement in daily worry ratings on at least one index and all scores on self-reported measures of worry, anxiety, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness changed in the expected direction following yoga (with one or two exceptions). Participants also showed improved heart rate variability during a worry period from pre- to post-intervention. Yoga has the potential to improve the processes linked to GAD and should stimulate further research in this area.
“A Case Series on the Effects of Kripalu Yoga for Generalized Anxiety Disorder” by Jessica R. Morgan, MA, Marlysa Sullivan, MPT, Akihiko Masuda, PhD, Erin Tully, PhD, Lindsey L. Cohen, PhD, and Page L. Anderson, PhD in International Journal of Yoga Therapy. Published online October 2016 doi:10.17761/1531-2054.0.0.000
