Study assesses the impact of mindfulness on anxiety and depression in Parkinson’s disease

Researchers in Hong Kong have assessed the impact of mindfulness meditation on levels of anxiety and depression in people with Parkinson’s compared with that of stretching and resistance training exercise (SRTE).

The small study involved 68 people with Parkinson’s who were randomly assigned to take part in either a mindfulness programme or an SRTE programme over the course of eight weeks. The mindfulness programme involved meditation sessions, while the SRTE programme focused on full-body exercise sessions.

Participants in the mindfulness programme showed decreased symptoms of depression immediately after the programme, while the symptoms of those in the SRTE group remained level. However, no significant changes were identified between the two groups after three months. Furthermore, no differences in anxiety levels were identified in either group or between the two groups.

“These findings suggest that mindfulness meditation might be a promising complementary lifestyle practice for… managing depressive mood among [people] with Parkinson’s,” the researchers concluded.

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