Meditation

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Escitalopram for the Treatment of Adults With Anxiety Disorders

Hoge EA, Bui E, Mete M, et al. · JAMA Psychiatry, 2023

This randomized clinical trial compared an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course with escitalopram, a commonly prescribed medication for anxiety disorders. Adults with a diagnosed anxiety disorder were recruited at three US academic medical centers, and 208 completed the trial. It used a noninferiority design, meaning it tested whether MBSR was not meaningfully worse than the medication. In this study, anxiety severity dropped by a similar amount in both groups, and MBSR met the prespecified test for noninferiority. Fewer people in the MBSR group reported study-related side effects, and none left the MBSR group because of them. A limitation is that participants knew which treatment they received, and results apply to people willing to try either option.

Our summaries describe what each study found. They are not medical advice, and the practices at Halcyon are not a treatment for any condition.