Meditation-based intervention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis.
Si Myeong Lee, Hyo-Weon Suh, Hui-Yong Kwak, Jong Woo Kim, Sun-Yong Chung
Medicine July 29, 2022 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000029147 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Meditation-based intervention medication |
| Measures | Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Combined modality therapy Obsessive-compulsive disorder China |
| Key findings | The authors report that combining medication with meditation-based intervention improved Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale scores more than medication alone, and that meditation-based intervention showed significant immediate post-treatment improvement compared with other non-medication interventions. No significant difference appeared in follow-up data, leaving the long-term effect unclear. |
Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the meditation-based intervention on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Methods: The following databases were searched up to April 2021: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, Medline (via PubMed), PsycARTICLES, 4 Korean databases (Korean Medical Database [KMbase], Koreanstudies Information Service System [KISS], National Digital Science Library [NDSL], and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System [OASIS]), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The search terms related to meditation-based intervention and OCD were used. This systematic review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The selected articles were evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 was used to perform the meta-analysis.
Results: In all, 16 randomized controlled trials were selected. The meta-analysis showed that the group receiving the treatment combining medication and meditation-based intervention for OCD showed a more significant post-treatment improvement in Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale than the group receiving medication only. Compared with other non-medication interventions that are known to be effective in treating OCD, the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale showed a significant improvement immediately after the meditation-based intervention. However, no significant difference was found in the follow-up monitoring data across all examined cases.
Conclusion: This study was conducted to verify the effects of meditation-based intervention on OCD. The results suggested that combined treatment with medication and meditation-based intervention was more effective in treating OCD than medication alone; the positive effects of meditation-based intervention may be greater than the effects of other non-medication interventions. However, the lack of significant difference in the follow-up indicates that long-term effect of meditation-based interventions is unclear. Trial registration number: PROSPERO CRD42021244408.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Facilitating Meditation with Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation: A First Investigation in Experienced Practitioners January 31, 2024
- Mindfulness- and acceptance-based programmes for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders March 1, 2025
- App-Based Mindfulness Meditation Training and an Audiobook Intervention Reduce Symptom Severity but Do Not Modify Backward Inhibition in Adolescent Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Evidence from an EEG Study Journal of Clinical Medicine March 24, 2023
Cites 5
- Mindfulness-based exposure and response prevention for obsessive compulsive disorder: Findings from a pilot randomised controlled trial Journal of Anxiety Disorders April 30, 2018
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy vs stress management training for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders December 27, 2020
- Mindfulness-based interventions for psychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review February 1, 2018
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as an augmentation treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy September 2017
- Randomized controlled trial of yogic meditation techniques for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. CNS Spectrums December 1999