Clinical Depression

The problems of mental health as well as stress disorders on the one hand and the promising potentials of yogapractices to arouse positive neuro-physiological and psychological changes, on the other, have been subjects of consistent pursuit of medical and psychological research for the last five decades. In the present study too, based on clinical intervention of yoga-practices on 64 cases of psychological disorders, the impact of yoga-practices in the management of psychological problems was assessed critically and here for two schedules of yoga-practices were so standardized, that one of the schedule was expected to produce composing effect whereas the other was framed to cause bioenergy activation. Both the schedules of yoga-practices in the study comprised similar kinds of yogapractices. The cases underwent through follow-up assessments after 6, 12, and 18 weeks and evaluated on adequate psychological parameters. It was noted that the second schedule i.e. Schedule B was found to be effective in causing changes in affective behaviour patterns.

This research investigated a potential linkage between mindfulness and personality characteristics such as openness to experience, empathy (empathic concern and theory of mind), pro-social behaviour and suggestibility. A sample of 275 volunteers was recruited. A series of the research questionnaires and scales was employed to measure mindfulness, empathic concern, theory of mind (or perspective taking), pro-social behaviour (or altruism) and suggestibility. Based on the quartile scores, participants were divided into two low (first quartile) and high (forth quartile) on mindfulness. Using a two-way MANOVA, the results showed that participants high on mindfulness exhibited increased theory of mind, pro-social behaviour and openness, in addition to decreased suggestibility. Neither main nor interaction effects were found for gender factor. Theoretical models in the field of social cognition will be discussed to explain how enhancement in cognitive functions due to mindfulness practice might alter personality characteristics and, in turn, influence socio-political behaviour.

Introduction: The following study was part of a larger study designed to try to determine causal mechanisms and to explore in greater detail why premature death due to natural and unnatural causes followed discharge from hospital in a cohort of depressed patients. In this particular report the aim is to examine the specific relationship between depression and control.
Method: The association between perceptions of personal control, personality, and depression, was examined in a sample of 95 subjects. The test group consists of patients referred to a psychiatrist and diagnosed as depressed in an outpatient department.

Results: Clinically depressed subjects had significantly higher ratings on the perceived control item, reflecting more negative appraisals of control. The discrepancy between ideal and perceived levels of control was also significantly higher for clinically depressed subjects. Clinically depressed and normal comparison subjects did not differ significantly with respect to ideal levels of personal control.
Discussion: The more people perceive events as uncontrollable and unpredictable, the more stress they experience, and the less hope they feel able to make changes in their life. Furthermore, people with a pessimistic explanatory style tend to be poor at problem - solving and also tend to demonstrate poor job satisfaction and interpersonal relationship in the workplace. Those with a pessimistic explanatory style also tend to have weakened, and increased vulnerability to minor ailments (e.g. cold, fever) and major illness (e.g., heart attack, cancers), but also have a less effective recovery from health problems. The results suggest that there is an important connection between depression and control which needs to influence the understanding and therefore treatment of patients with depression.