With huge treatment gap for a increasing cases of mental and neurological disorders in the country, health experts are pitching in for traditional yoga to help the mentally ill patients to cope through their situation.

Their claim is not without reasons. Various studies have revealed that specific yoga postures along with pranayama have delivered positive results in the mentally depressed patients —both suffering from minor disorders as well as severe as schizophrenia.

Says Professor Smita Deshpande, Head of Psychiatric Department, RML Hospital: “We would definitely recommend yogasana to mentally disturbed people. Its effectiveness has been proven in our three-and-a-half-year pilot study concluded in 2009. The study revealed that the patients on our specific yoga regiment comprising of pranayama and Jalneti reported improvement in their thought process as well bringing positive change in them.”

Encouraged by the results, the hospital authorities initiated a five-year study last year in December in association with the US-based National Institute of Health (NIH) to confirm the results of the pilot project. “In this study we are having three groups-one comprising of patients on yoga regime plus medication, second group of patients provided with physical fitness and medication and the third group only on medication,” says Prof Deshpande.

So far 64 patients suffering from minor to major disorders such as bipolar mental disorders and schizophrenia  have been enrolled under a three weeks programme. They are being regularly followed up, said the health expert. The positive results revealed that yoga helped those with mental illness to cope through their situation.

“I would definitely recommend yoga to all such patients as it helps them to cope through their anxiety and mood disorders. In other words, yoga along with the medicine can bring significant improvement in their situation,” Prof Despande said.

More than 75% of people suffering from mental disorders ranging from minor to major one in the developing world receive no treatment or care while in India it is ten percent of total population. However, there has been huge gap in services due to stigma, poverty and government’s apathy.

But now yoga is being increasingly recognized for treating the disorders. Little wonder that the country’s top institute in mental health research, NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences) in Bangalore has now sought permission of the Health Ministry to conduct a study on “Yogic meditation to mitigate suicidal ideation and depression in IT professional in the silicon city” hypothising that there are high levels of depression and suicidal tendency among IT professionals due to work and situation related stress.

The Institute in a recent study found that yoga is equivalent to conventional medicines when it comes to treating the alcoholics, mentally depressed and schizophrenic patients with excercises such as  “Sudarshan Kriya” (both slow and fast breathing) helping in declining in the patient’s cortisol (a hormone in blood associated to stress) levels.

Similar results were noted by the institute following a study on alcoholics.

Dr Jagdish Kaur, Chief Medical Officer (CMO, Mental health) from Health Ministry said that “we will analyse the results of all such studies to see if they can be translated into the policy for the welfare of the mentally ill patients.”