Mindfulness-based stress reduction reduces anxiety as effectively as Escitalopram, a medication commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorders, a study published Nov. 9 in JAMA Psychiatry found.
A clinical trial monitored the levels of anxiety in 276 adults with anxiety disorders after eight weeks of participating either in an evidence-based mindfulness stress reduction course or taking a 10 mg to 20 mg dose of Escitalopram, according to the study. Half the participants were assigned the mindfulness program and half were prescribed the medication.
The researchers found that 102 patients assigned the mindfulness-based treatment and 106 Escitalopram patients both reported a 20 percent reduction in their anxiety symptoms by the end of the eight-week trial.
Elizabeth Hoge, MD, the lead author on the study and the director of the anxiety disorders research program at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., told CNN she hopes the research leads to more insurance companies covering meditation courses as anxiety treatment.