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How Is Meditation Helpful For Mood Disorders?

At first glance, Andy seems like your typical college student. She goes to classes with a
smile and even has a side job as a cashier in a small pizza restaurant. But deep inside,
she suffers from a condition called depression. Yet despite her struggles and emotional
issues, she chooses to keep it all inside her. There’s a stigma in her area when it comes
to mood disorders. She isn’t alone in her situation though, there are still many people
nowadays who doesn’t believe that mental disorders are real diseases.

The brain and mental disorders

The brain doesn’t just control our thought processes. It also controls production of hor-
mones, motor functions, organ functions and even emotional processes. The problem
is, medical researches and advancements on the brain are lesser as compared to other
parts of the body. In fact, many cognitive disorders like schizophrenia and paranoia still
don’t have definitive pathological pathways until now. The same goes for mood disor-
ders, which include conditions like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. While we
do know that these conditions could be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain or
even by external stimuli, their exact causes and pathophysiology are still not known.

That doesn’t mean that these disorders are not real

Just because we doesn’t know yet how they occur biologically, this doesn’t mean that
these diseases are not real. The brain is such a complicated organ that understanding
how it fully works can be quite difficult. This is the same reason why researchers find it
hard to find out the exact causes of certain mental conditions. But the fact that around
17.9% of Americans were diagnosed with mental illnesses in 2015 means that these
disorders affect a large part of the population.
One of the most prevalent mood disorders in the world is depression. In America, it is
estimated that around 6.7% of the population has had at least one depressive episode
in 2015. The prevalence of bipolar disorder is considerably less affecting around 2.6%
of the American population. Similarly, generalized anxiety disorder affects millions in the
population at around 3.1%. Take note that these statistics are just for the adults, chil-
dren can also be affected by mental disorders regardless of their younger age.
Unfortunately, the stigma when it comes to these condi-
tions is real

In this 2000 study conducted by Crisp and his colleagues, they investigated on the per-
ceptions of UK residents regarding individuals suffering from mental illnesses. Around
70% of the respondents considered schizophrenic individuals as dangerous to others.
Around 62% of the respondents considered depression patients as hard to talk to.
Alarmingly, when it comes to some conditions such as eating disorders, many respon-
dents have negative responses. Such responses include the sufferer has only himself or
herself to blame and even that they could pull themselves together.

Since the processes of how these disorders develop

isn’t known yet

The medications and therapies for them are not as effective as well. Most psychiatrists
recommend or prescribe medications that aim to balance the chemical imbalances of
the individual. Psychotherapy and hypnosis provide for mixed results. Some people do
benefit from these medications and therapies. But without knowing the exact causes of
their disorders, it’s harder to fully treat them. All hope is not lost though as, according to
many studies, meditation can be a possible alternative for treating many mental condi-
tions, including mood disorders.

How meditation affects the brain in three ways

Studies have already proved that meditation have position neural effects in humans. In
the section below, we’d discuss the three main ways on how meditation affects the hu-
man brain.

1. Increase in gray matter

The central nervous system, the brain and spinal column, is comprised of two types of
tissues. These are the gray matter and the white matter. Both are important tissues, the
former contains neurons necessary for sensory and motor functions while the latter con-
tains axons important for neural transmissions. Of the two tissues, gray matter is essen-
tial for brain functions such as memory and emotions. However, as we reach adulthood
and old age, gray matter starts to decrease in number, that is for individuals who don’t
participate in meditative activities.

In a study done by Holzel and colleague, they investigated on the structural effects on
the brain of an eight-week meditation intervention program. They found out that even
within just this short-time frame, there were significant increases in the gray matter of
the participants, who have not tried meditation prior to the program. Areas of the brain
involved in cognition, like the posterior cingulate cortex, the temporo-parietal junction,
and the cerebellum, have increased gray matter as compared to the other areas of the
brain.

Since gray matter decreases as we age, another set of researchers investigated the ef-
fect of meditation on old-aged individuals instead. The intervention lasted for six weeks
on old-age participants that have presented with sleeping problems. The results were
still significant with gray matter increased in the precuneus area of the brain. There
were some areas that have significant decreases in gray matter, which is already a giv-
en since the older age of the participants could have affected this as well.

2. Increase in alpha and theta waves

Different types of meditation induce different wave patterns in the brain. The general
pattern though is that alpha and theta waves become more apparent during or after
meditation. To understand the importance of these waves in the brain, let’s highlight
their roles and functions first. The four original waves of the brain that are well-studied
are beta, alpha, theta and delta.
The beta waves are present during wakefulness and times of most activity. However,
these waves are also present during times of stress and anxiety. The alpha waves are
present during deep concentration and deep relaxation. On the other hand, the theta
waves are present on that line between wakefulness and sleeping. Finally, the delta
waves are present during deep, dreamless sleep.

In this review of studies, the researchers gathered information with regards to the brain
wave effects of meditation. It was found that zen meditation increases both alpha and
theta activities. Similarly, mindful meditation was found to have increased levels of both
alpha and theta activities in the brain. In another study, it was found that expert medita-
tors have increased levels of gamma activity in the brain. Now this brain wave was just
recently found to be important as an indicator of increased consciousness, intellectual
ability and binding senses.

3. Stimulation of prefrontal regions and posterior cortical midline

structures

Last but definitely not the least is the activation of meditation of various areas of the
brain. This is also the part that we’re most interested in because the activation of these
areas can lead to emotional stability. The two main parts of the brain that meditation
was proven to activate are the prefrontal regions and posterior cortical midline struc-
tures.
The prefrontal region of the brain is associated with many functions including executive
functioning, memory and even emotional regulation. In fact, a lesion to this area of the
brain can lead to depressive symptoms. In this study, participants were subjected to
cognitive tasks after meditation. The result was that they were able to perform the tasks
better after meditation. The researchers have suggested that this is because of in-
creased cerebral oxygenation mediated by activation of the prefrontal region of the
brain.
The posterior cortical midline structures are associated with both personality functioning
and neural basis of self. In autistic children, these structures are activated only during
times of self recognition. These areas are still under investigation and the exact way of
how they affect emotional processes is still not known. The studies are also mixed,
since some postulate that meditation activates these areas while others postulate that
meditation inactivates these areas.
Meditation and its relationship with mood disorders

So now that we know how meditation affects brain functions and structures, we have a
better understanding of its relationship with mood disorders as well. Since the brain
plays a role in the control of our emotions, if we can find a way to enhance its function,
we also alleviate the symptoms of our mood disorder. We would discuss this relation-
ship further in the sections below.

An interesting study investigated on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive

therapy for chronic depression patients. This intervention is a mixture of mindful medita-
tion and cognitive behavioral therapy. The patients were divided into two groups, the
first group received just the usual treatments while the second group received the usual
treatments along with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The result was that depres-
sive symptoms were decreased significantly for those in the mindfulness-based cogni-
tive therapy group.

In a different study, mindfulness-based stress reduction was tested for its effect on anxi-
ety patients. In contrast, this therapy combines meditation, yoga and breathing exercis-
es are included in this therapy. Anxiety symptoms were significantly decreased after the
intervention. Similarly, in another study, bipolar disorder patients showed significant de-
creases in anxiety and depression systems after being given meditation intervention.

Meditation can help treat mood disorders

Only if you practice it consistently and constantly. If you remember the three main ef-
fects of meditation on the brain, on the gray matter, wave activity and structure activa-
tion, these effects occur immediately after meditation. But without consistent meditation,
these effects can also be inactivated in the long run. This is why some Buddhist monks
attain enlightenment after years of practice of meditation only.
On a related note, have you heard about Matthieu Ricard, considered as the world’s
happiest man? According to this study, long-term meditators have higher gamma wave
activity in the brain. Well, Matthieu Ricard has the highest frequency of gamma waves
recorded in the neuroscience world. In addition, his left prefrontal cortex, area associat-
ed with happiness, has more activity as compared to the right side. These findings
make him the happiest man on the world.

If meditation can have such significant positive effects, it’s only natural to assume that it
can aid in the healing of people with mood disorders as well. Of course, the effects
might not be as potent, especially if on a short term. But judging by the different studies
published relating the relationship between brain function and meditation, we can’t dis-
miss its possible effectiveness in the treatment of mood disorders. The best part is that
there are no adverse side effects as compared to chemical medications.

Share your thoughts about this topic in the comments section below!

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