Effects Of The Mind-Body Intervention Program in Alleviating Post-Partum Depression Syndrome

Objectives@#In an attempt to offer further insights in the development of counselling skills to population at risk, this counselling program was tested among mothers with postpartum depression (PPD) to determine the effects of Mind-Body Intervention Program (MBIP).@*Methodology@#Utilizing an Embedded Design: Embedded Experimental Model (1), it included 385 postpartum mothers from the Out-Patient Department of De La Salle University Medical Center, City of Dasmarinas, Cavite. These mothers were screened for PPD symptoms through Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and underwent psychiatric assessment, utilizing Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) to clinically diagnose PPD.@*Results@#Out of 385 participants, 42 qualified and underwent permuted block randomization. After the individualized, eight sessions of MBIP, the following were revealed: In the experimental group, the 17 mothers with depression in the pre-test decreased to 2 (11.8%) in the post-test and 1 (5.9%) in the delayed post-test. As to the control group, the 19 mothers with depression in the pre-test decreased to 7 (36.8%) in the post-test and 7 (36.8%) in the delayed post-test. The dropout rates were 19% ( 4/21) and 9 .5% (2/21) for the experimental and control groups, respectively. The t-test result for comparing average post-test score of the experimental group (3.12) and the control group (6.00) had a p-value of 0.074, which means that there was no significant difference between the two groups. This shows that the participants responded positively to both interventions. On the other hand, after two months, the mean delayed post-test score of 1.53 (normal or no depression) with p<0.012 of the experimental group, and mean delayed post-test score of 7 .21 (almost normal or near-mild depression) with p<0.0 12 of the control group was statistically significant (p-value=0.024). This means, those in the experimental group maintained their feelings of well-being more than those from the control group. The t-test results for intention to treat data were the same with the results of t-tests when dropouts were excluded. This finding reveals that the data collected was sufficient to give a valid result.@*Conclusion@#Therefore, the findings appear that mind-body intervention program can alleviate mild to moderate post-partum depression for those mothers without psycho-pathologic ailment such as anxiety neuroses, phobias or personality disorders; hence, it can be an option in the absence of pharmacotherapy for this condition.

Evidence-based stress management: focusing on nonpharmacological procedure which reduce stress and promote health

In modern society, stress is one of the most significant problems affecting physical as well as mental health. Stress, which is defined as a situation in which the homeostasis of the physiological system of one's mind and body is threatened, is composed of two concepts: stressors and stress reactions. A stressor is the stimulus that is perceived as a threat and arouses a stress reaction, such as a disaster or serious life event. Stress reactions are physical and mental symptoms, for example, chest tightness, dizziness, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, headache, and agitation, which are mediated by the sympathetic nervous system and stress hormones such as cortisol. These reactions, along with stress-related unhealthy behaviors, result in serious chronic diseases, including cancers and cardiovascular disease. Stress coping methods are classified into two components: cognitive behavioral interventions for stressors and mind-body interventions to reduce the stress response. Various interventions have been identified: progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, relaxation response, biofeedback, the emotional freedom technique, guided imagery, diaphragmatic breathing, transcendental meditation, and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Meditation and progressive muscular relaxation are well-known and widely used procedures to reduce the stress response and to improve quality of life. Further studies to establish an evidence-based standardized program that can be easily applied at the individual level are needed.

Stress Assessment and Management

Stress can increase the risk of various diseases, exacerbate many medical disorders, and change healthy life-style behaviors. Therefore, effective management of stress is essential to decreasevulnerability to illnesses and to improve the quality of life. There is considerable evidence that mindbody interventions such as relaxation, meditation, imaginary technique, cognitivebehavior therapy, and biofeedback can be used as effective adjunctive therapy to conventional medical treatment for a number of medical disorders. The author will introduce the principles of stress management and briefly overview stress management methods and techniques.