研究发现，瑜伽对患有焦虑症的青少年有帮助

图片 一个 14 岁的女孩和她的母亲来看家庭医生，抱怨严重的焦虑影响了她的睡眠、社交和上学。 这位母亲解释说，治疗和/或精神病学“太贵了，不在我们的保险范围内”，她不希望女儿服用精神病药物，因为她担心抗抑郁药和类似药物的副作用。 上述情景每天在全国数千个医生办公室上演。焦虑现在是青少年中最常见的心理健康问题。然而，青少年及其父母面临着有限的治疗选择，这些选择难以获得、昂贵且可能有害。 A 14-year-old girl and her mother comes to see the family doctor, complaining about severe anxiety that is interfering with her ability to sleep, social interactions, and school. The mother explains that therapy and/or psychiatry is “too expensive and is not covered by our insurance” and she doesn’t want her daughter taking psychiatric medications, because she is concerned about the side effects of antidepressants and similar medications. The above scenario plays out daily in thousands of doctor’s offices across the nation. Anxiety is now the most common mental health issue among adolescents. Yet, teens and their parents are faced with limited treatment options, which are difficult to obtain, expensive and potentially harmful. 青少年焦虑瑜伽的新研究 在此背景下，一项新的回顾性研究发现瑜伽和身心疗法有助于解决青少年焦虑问题，这一点尤其值得注意。 青春期总是一个压力很大的时期。然而，在当今社会，青少年焦虑有了全新的含义。研究估计，近三分之一的青少年患有焦虑症，而且这一数字可能还在上升，因为在几项研究中，社交媒体的使用和屏幕时间也与不良的心理健康有关。 研究作者写道：“虽然焦虑和恐惧是对青少年时期常见的学术、社会和发展挑战的典型反应，但临床或病理性焦虑是过度的、持续的和破坏性的。” 回顾性研究包括研究几种身心方法在减轻焦虑方面的功效。这些包括正念训练、瑜伽、催眠和生物反馈。所有这些方法都显示出好处，既可以减少焦虑，也可以改善其他变量，例如学校表现。 瑜伽是减少青少年焦虑的研究最多的方法之一。研究着眼于瑜伽体式、调息法和冥想的好处。研究作者指出，身体运动对应对压力的孩子特别有帮助，而冥想本身可能不适合应对创伤或长期高压力的人。 总之，作者指出，瑜伽和正念训练等方法可能值得在用药前尝试（当然，在某些情况下可能需要用药）。对于担心副作用和传统药物的父母来说，首先看看这些替代策略中的一个或多个可能是有意义的。 “在儿科初级保健领域，迫切需要负担得起且可获得的心理保健策略，”作者指出。超过一半的患有精神疾病的青少年没有接受专业护理，其中，患有焦虑症的青少年最不可能接受护理。 作者总结说：“越来越多的证据支持将身心实践作为一种低风险且具有成本效益的策略来管理患有焦虑症的青少年。” “生物反馈、正念、瑜伽和催眠都是有前途的身心练习形式，可以对抗不断上升的青少年焦虑症。文献支持在家庭、教室和临床环境中使用身心练习。” On this background, a new review study finding that yoga and mind-body therapies are helpful for addressing teenage anxiety is particularly noteworthy. Adolescence was always a stressful period. However, in today’s society, Teenage Angst has taken on a whole new meaning. Studies estimate that almost a third of teens suffer from anxiety disorder, and the numbers may be on the rise, since social media use and screen time also has been linked to poor mental health in several studies. "Whereas anxiety and fear are typical reactions to the academic, social, and developmental challenges common during the adolescent years," the study authors write, "clinical or pathological anxiety is excessive, persistent, and disruptive." The review study included studies the efficacy of several mind-body methods in reducing anxiety. These included mindfulness training, yoga, hypnosis, and biofeedback. All of the methods showed benefits, both in reducing anxiety, but also improving other variables, like school performance. Yoga was one of the most studied methods for reducing anxiety in teens. Studies looked at the benefits of yoga asana, pranayama and meditation. Physical movement can be especially helpful for kids dealing with stress, the study authors note, whereas meditation on its own may not be suitable for people dealing with trauma or chronic high levels of stress. In sum, the authors note, methods like yoga and mindfulness training may be worth trying before medication (although medication may be necessary in some cases, of course). For parents concerned about side effects and of traditional meds, taking a look one or more of these alternatives strategies first may make sense. “In the field of pediatric primary care, there is a dire need for affordable and accessible mental health care strategies,” the authors note. More than half of teens with mental health disorders don’t receive professional care, and among those, teens with anxiety disorders are the least likely to receive care. “A growing body of evidence supports the implementation of mind-body practices as a low-risk and cost-effective strategy in the management of adolescents with anxiety,” the authors conclude. “Biofeedback, mindfulness, yoga, and hypnosis are all promising forms of mind and body practices in the battle against rising rates of adolescent anxiety. The literature supports the use of mind and body practices in the home, the classroom, and in clinical settings.”