Author: Sabe M1, Sentissi O2, Kaiser S3
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Division of Adult Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva, 2, Chemin du Petit-Bel-Air, CH-1226 Thonex, Switzerland. Electronic address: michel.sabe@hcuge.ch.
<sup>2</sup>Division of Adult Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva, 2, Chemin du Petit-Bel-Air, CH-1226 Thonex, Switzerland. Electronic address: O.sentissi@hcuge.ch.
<sup>3</sup>Division of Adult Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva, 2, Chemin du Petit-Bel-Air, CH-1226 Thonex, Switzerland. Electronic address: stefan.kaiser@hcuge.ch.
Conference/Journal: Schizophr Res.
Date published: 2019 Aug 1
Other:
Pages: S0920-9964(19)30310-X , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.07.030. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 252
Meditation-based mind-body therapies (yoga, tai-chi, qi-gong, mindfulness) have been suggested to have a potential therapeutic effect on negative symptoms. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining effectiveness of yoga, tai-chi, qi-gong and mindfulness on negative symptoms of schizophrenia, using different databases and trial registries. The primary outcome was effect of mind-body therapies on negative symptoms and the secondary outcome was effect on positive symptoms. Fifteen RCTs were included in the meta-analysis (N = 1081 patients). Overall, we found a beneficial effect of mind-body interventions on negative symptoms at endpoint compared to treatment-as-usual or non-specific control interventions, but the effect was small and moderate to high heterogeneity was present. A subgroup analysis for different types of therapy revealed a significant effect of mindfulness-based and yoga interventions on negative symptoms, but heterogeneity within the yoga subgroup was high. Our results did not show an increase of positive symptoms (N = 1051). Our results suggest a potential for meditation-based mind-body therapies in the treatment of negative symptoms, in particular for mindfulness based approaches and to a lesser extent yoga. Limitations in the available comparisons do not allow concluding on a specific effect of these interventions. Overall, the currently available evidence remains limited and does not yet allow one to recommend mind-body therapies for the reduction of negative symptoms. However, the present findings justify further research on mind-body therapies for the treatment of negative symptoms.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS: Mindfulness; Negative symptoms; Qi-gong; Schizophrenia; Tai-chi; Yoga
PMID: 31378557 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.07.030