How meditation offers help for women with depression

Nearly eleven percent of American women are on antidepressants. How
did a condition once thought to be so rare become epidemic? Many
factors contribute to the disease, yet experts agree that stress is
the main cause of the physiological imbalances that give rise to
depression. Evidence suggests that women are more susceptible to
stress and can succumb to depression under lower stress levels than
men. The female physiological response to stress is different—women
produce more stress hormones than men and recover less quickly from
stress. Many women are looking for natural alternatives to
antidepressants.

New research on meditation shows promising results.
A recent study led by researchers at University of California Los
Angeles shows that over a 12-month period, depressive symptoms
decreased by almost 50% among people practicing the Transcendental
Meditation technique, compared to controls.[1] These findings are
significant for anyone suffering from depression—especially women.

Natural Remedy for Depression

Meditation reduces stress and increases feelings of calm—an experience
often described as bliss or inner happiness. This experience is the
opposite of depression and has a unique style of physiology: deep rest
and increased inner wakefulness,[2] and more integrated and harmonious
brain functioning.[3] Depression is associated with low levels of
serotonin, and studies show that TM practice increases serotonin (but
only in subjects whose serotonin is too low—if serotonin is too high,
research has found that levels decrease).[4]

Side effects of antidepressants

Women now make up more than half the work force, and many of those
women also carry the load of housework and childcare, increasing a
woman’s vulnerability to anxiety and depression. An alarming 79
percent of the prescriptions for antidepressant drugs are for women.
One out of three doctor’s visits by women involves an antidepressant
prescription. Because antidepressants do not address the root problem,
doctors keep increasing the dosage. The side effects include weight
gain or loss, intense restlessness, insomnia, fatigue, sexual
dysfunction, panic attacks and anxiety.

Taking time out to relieve emotional and physical stress through
regular meditation is a natural and effective approach to prevent and
reduce depression. "Severely depressed people often believe they will
never feel better," says Dr. Nancy Leibler, author of Healing
Depression the Mind Body Way. "Because the Transcendental Meditation
technique gives a feeling of fulfillment and calmness, it also gives
hope."

1. Transcendental Meditation Reduces Depression: study presented at
the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in
Seattle, Washington April 9th, 2010.

2. Biochemistry of Deep Rest, Reference: Hormones and Behavior 10:
54–60, 1978. Physiological indicators of deep rest during
Transcendental Meditation, American Psychologist 42: 879–881, 1987.

3. Increased EEG Coherence during meditation, International Journal of
Neuroscience 14: 147–151, 1981.

4. BUJATTI, M., and RIEDERER, P. Serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine
metabolites in Transcendental Meditation technique. Journal of Neural
Transmission 39: 257–267,1976.