Dr. Shane McIver
Deakin University, Australia
Title: Being full and feeling empty: Yoga as a pathway for recovery from depression, anxiety and eating disorders
Biography
Biography: Dr. Shane McIver
Abstract
Introduction: Whilst therapeutic applications of yoga are becoming popular, there is a paucity of research examining the potential for meditation-based therapies to alleviate the principal psychological correlates of binge eating disorder (BED).
Objective: This presentation will focus on unpublished data from a broader study. This portion examines the efficacy of a 12-week yoga program for reducing depression and anxiety and increasing quality of life among a sample of overweight women with BED.
Method: A two-group, repeated measures design, involving randomization to either a yoga program group (n=25) or wait-list control group (n=25) was conducted. Females aged between 25-63 years with a body mass index (BMI)>25, who met the DSM-IV classification criteria for BED were included. The introduction of a home-based yoga program, combined with weekly group practice sessions was held for one hour once a week for 12 weeks, in either a workplace or fitness centers setting.
Outcome Measures: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), the trait-form from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Quality of Life Index (QLI).
Results: For the yoga group, reductions in depression and anxiety and increases in quality of life were statistically significant. The wait-list control group did not change significantly on either outcome measure.
Conclusions: In conjunction with formal weekly sessions, home-based yoga programs are potentially efficacious as a modality for ameliorating psychological correlates of BED. Possible mechanisms explaining these improvements will also be discussed.