This is an exclusive excerpt from my book, The Physiology of Yoga.
Depressive disorders, such as major depressive disorder, are the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting more than 340 million people (Greden 2001). The World Health Organization (2012) projects that depression will be the world’s leading disease by 2030.
High cortisol levels and chronic stress exposure are implicated in mood disorders like depression (Moylan et al. 2013 and Charney and Manji 2004).
Can yoga help reduce symptoms of depression?
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Cramer, Lauche, Langhorst, and Dobos (2013) concluded that yoga could be considered a supplementary treatment option for patients with depressive disorders and individuals with elevated levels of depression. A recent systematic review of 19 studies and a meta-analysis of 13 studies (Brinsley et al. 2020) looked at the effects of yoga on depressive symptoms in people with mental disorders including depression, posttraumatic stress, schizophrenia, anxiety, alcohol dependence, and bipolar disorder. The authors concluded that yoga showed greater reductions in depressive symptoms than the control groups, and greater reductions in depressive symptoms were associated with higher frequency of yoga sessions per week.
Some research has been conducted to explore whether gratitude can help to combat symptoms of depression. Watkins and colleagues (2003) suggested that grateful individuals have these four characteristics: They do not feel deprived in life, they appreciate others’ contributions to their well-being, they tend to appreciate simple pleasures that are freely available to most people, and they acknowledge the important role of experiencing and expressing gratitude.
A literature review by Wood, Froh, and Geraghty (2010) reported that gratitude significantly lowered the risk of a range of diagnoses including major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, phobia, nicotine dependence, alcohol dependence, drug abuse or dependence, and the risk of bulimia nervosa. A more recent review by Jans-Beken and colleagues (2019) concluded that having a grateful disposition is positively linked to the absence of psychopathology, but gratitude interventions are not unequivocally established as universally effective for decreasing psychopathological symptoms.
Join one of my upcoming live workshops:
References:
Brinsley, J., F. Schuch, O. Lederman, D. Girard, M. Smout, M.A. Immink, B. Stubbs, J. Firth, K. Davison, and S. Rosenbaum. 2020. “Effects of Yoga on Depressive Symptoms in People With Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” British Journal of Sports Medicine 55(17): 992-1000.
Charney, D., and H. Manji. 2004. “Life Stress, Genes, and Depression: Multiple Pathways Lead to Increased Risk and New Opportunities for Intervention.” Science STKE 225 (re5).
Cramer, H., R. Lauche, J. Langhorst, and G. Dobos. 2013. “Yoga for Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Depression Anxiety 30:1068-1083.
Greden, J. 2001. “The Burden of Recurrent Depression: Causes, Consequences, and Future Prospects.” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 62 (Suppl. 22): 5-9.
Jans-Beken, L., N. Jacobs, M. Janssens, S. Peeters, J. Reijnders, L. Lechner, and J. Lataster. 2019. “Gratitude and Health: An Updated Review.” Journal of Positive Psychology 15 (6): 743-782.
Moylan, S., M. Maes, N. Wray, and M. Berk. 2013. “The Neuroprogressive Nature of Major Depressive Disorder: Pathways to Disease Evolution and Resistance, and Therapeutic Implications.” Molecular Psychiatry 18 (5): 595-606.
Watkins, P., K. Woodward, T. Stone, and R. Kolts. 2003. “Gratitude and Happiness: Development of a Measure of Gratitude and Relationships With Subjective Well-Being.” Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal 31 (5): 431-452.
Wood, A., J. Froh, and A. Geraghty. 2010. “Gratitude and Well-Being: A Review and Theoretical Integration.” Clinical Psychology Review 30 (7): 890-905.
World Health Organization. 2012. “Depression: A Global Crisis.” https://www.wfmh.org/2012DOCS/WMHDay%202012%20SMALL%20FILE%20FINAL.pdf