Meditation alleviates depression in Spanish-speaking immigrants, study finds

New research from UCLA indicates mindfulness meditation may be an effective and inexpensive treatment for Spanish-speaking immigrants suffering from stress-related depression.The study, published in peer-reviewed  PLOS One, demonstrates key benefits of mindfulness training programs for immigrants who may struggle with learning a new language, finding a job, obtaining health care, and experiencing discrimination and fear of deportation.Mindfulness is the practice of using meditation to tap into emotions, thoughts and sensations as they ’re occurring in real time. Mindfulness meditation may be guided by an instructor or self-guided, and may use visualization techniques, sounds, smells and other sensations to help people tap into their emotions.“Latino immigrants may experience stress as they adjust to life in the U.S. and may become depressed as a result,” said study author Dr. Michael Irwin, Cousins Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the  Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. “Mindfulness meditation improves symptoms of depression for everyone, yet the vast majority of research has focused on English-speaking populations.”For the study, conducted in late 2015 to early 2016, 76 adults with stress levels considered “moderate” participated in a six-week treatment program of either mindful awareness or health education. Of the participants, all from the Los Angeles community, 36 were Spanish-s...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news