Key result
Breathing interventions for depression primarily feature attention, body awareness, and paced breathing techniques.
Why the study?
Breathing practices are increasingly used for depression, but evaluating their impact is challenged by variability in the exercises used.
How can breathing interventions evaluated for depression be categorised and synthesised?
How can breathing interventions evaluated for depression be categorised and synthesised?
This scoping review categorises breathing interventions for depression into themes of attention and awareness, using the body and senses, and paced breathing to inform future research.
Supports thematic categorization of breathing interventions for depression; leaves open their clinical role pending controlled trials.
Background Breathing practices are increasingly being utilised in therapeutic interventions for mental health problems, including depression. One of the challenges of evaluating the impact of breathing exercises on the treatment of depression is the variability in the type of exercises used. Aims To bring greater clarity in this area, this scoping review aimed to identify, categorise and synthesise breathing interventions that have been evaluated for depression, in order to inform further research and reviews. Method A thematic synthesis approach was used to analyse the descriptions of breathing interventions in order to categorise these via their common features. Results Thirty papers were included in the final synthesis. Main themes developed from thematic synthesis were related to procedural aspects of breathing interventions, namely: attention and awareness, using the body and senses, and paced breathing. Clinical implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
French et al. (2024) conducted a review in Depression (n=30). Breathing interventions was evaluated on Categorisation and synthesis of breathing interventions. A scoping review of 30 papers identified main themes in breathing interventions for depression, including attention and awareness, using the body and senses, and paced breathing.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: