Effectiveness of Integrated Body-Mind-Spirit Group Intervention on the Well-Being of Indian Patients With Depression: A Pilot Study

Background: Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide. There is a need to develop effective strategies to treat depression and prevent recurrence. Treatments that combine pharmacological and psychotherapeutic approaches are preferred for treating severe forms of depression. Purpose: The study assesses the effect of an integrated body- mind-spirit group intervention in patients with depression. Methods: This pilot study was a pretest-posttest design study. Thirty adult patients diagnosed with depression attending the psychiatric outpatient department at a district hospital were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or comparison group. Each group had 15 patients. The intervention group received both the intervention and routine hospital treatment and underwent four group integrated body-mind-spirit group intervention therapy sessions. These sessions were held once per week on either Saturday or Sunday, with each session lasting more than 3 hours. Comparison group participants received routine hospital treatment only. Outcome measures, including level of depression, well-being, and work and social adjustment, were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II, body-mind-spirit well-being scale, and work and social adjustment scale. Both groups were evaluated at baseline, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months. Results: Results showed that both groups had significant reductions in the level of depression, improvements in wellbeing, and work and social adjustment at 3-month follow-up compared with baseline. In addition, the intervention group showed significant mean differences in levels of depression, well-being, and work and social adjustment compared with the comparison group. Conclusion: The integrated body-mind-spirit group intervention model appears to reduce depressive symptoms and improve well-being in patients with depression.