一個(gè) 14 歲的女孩和她的母親來(lái)看家庭醫生，抱怨嚴重的焦慮影響了她的睡眠、社交和上學(xué)。這位母親解釋說(shuō)，治療和/或精神病學(xué)“太貴了，不在我們的保險范圍內”，她不希望女兒服用精神病藥物，因為她擔心抗抑郁藥和類(lèi)似藥物的副作用。上述情景每天在全國數千個(gè)醫生辦公室上演。焦慮現在是青少年中最常見(jiàn)的心理健康問(wèn)題。然而，青少年及其父母面臨著(zhù)有限的治療選擇，這些選擇難以獲得、昂貴且可能有害。 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. 青少年焦慮瑜伽的新研究 在此背景下，一項新的回顧性研究發(fā)現瑜伽和身心療法有助于解決青少年焦慮問(wèn)題，這一點(diǎn)尤其值得注意。青春期總是一個(gè)壓力很大的時(shí)期。然而，在當今社會(huì )，青少年焦慮有了全新的含義。研究估計，近三分之一的青少年患有焦慮癥，而且這一數字可能還在上升，因為在幾項研究中，社交媒體的使用和屏幕時(shí)間也與不良的心理健康有關(guān)。研究作者寫(xiě)道：“雖然焦慮和恐懼是對青少年時(shí)期常見(jiàn)的學(xué)術(shù)、社會(huì )和發(fā)展挑戰的典型反應，但臨床或病理性焦慮是過(guò)度的、持續的和破壞性的?！?/span>回顧性研究包括研究幾種身心方法在減輕焦慮方面的功效。這些包括正念訓練、瑜伽、催眠和生物反饋。所有這些方法都顯示出好處，既可以減少焦慮，也可以改善其他變量，例如學(xué)校表現。瑜伽是減少青少年焦慮的研究最多的方法之一。研究著(zhù)眼于瑜伽體式、調息法和冥想的好處。研究作者指出，身體運動(dòng)對應對壓力的孩子特別有幫助，而冥想本身可能不適合應對創(chuàng )傷或長(cháng)期高壓力的人。總之，作者指出，瑜伽和正念訓練等方法可能值得在用藥前嘗試（當然，在某些情況下可能需要用藥）。對于擔心副作用和傳統藥物的父母來(lái)說(shuō)，首先看看這些替代策略中的一個(gè)或多個(gè)可能是有意義的。“在兒科初級保健領(lǐng)域，迫切需要負擔得起且可獲得的心理保健策略，”作者指出。超過(guò)一半的患有精神疾病的青少年沒(méi)有接受專(zhuān)業(yè)護理，其中，患有焦慮癥的青少年最不可能接受護理。作者總結說(shuō)：“越來(lái)越多的證據支持將身心實(shí)踐作為一種低風(fēng)險且具有成本效益的策略來(lái)管理患有焦慮癥的青少年?！?nbsp;“生物反饋、正念、瑜伽和催眠都是有前途的身心練習形式，可以對抗不斷上升的青少年焦慮癥。文獻支持在家庭、教室和臨床環(huán)境中使用身心練習?！?/span> 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.”
