Educating Mental Health Clinic Providers on the Benefits of Yoga for Older Adults

Background: Depression is a grave mental health condition in the United States, and 3.4% of the older adult population experiences depression (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Older adults with depression may not engage in mental health treatment because of the cost of co-pay, treatment duration, the stigma of having depression and seeking mental health services and intolerance to medication side effects. Traditional care for treatment of depression, including antidepressant medicines, cognitive behavioral therapy, and supportive treatment, continue to be utilized. However, there is also an increase in the use of naturalistic and more holistic treatment options which include exercise therapies such as yoga (Prathilkanti et al., 2017). Evidence suggests that yoga reduces symptoms of depression (Cahoon, 2012). Objective: The purpose of this project was to educate mental health providers in an Arizona clinic on the benefits of yoga for older adults with depression. Setting: A private solo-practitioner psychiatry practice serving adults in the suburban Phoenix, AZ area Findings: Post yoga education questionnaire was completed by the mental health providers in an Arizona clinic to determine the participants knowledge on yoga as a therapeutic treatment option for older adults with depression. Results revealed positive findings that mental health providers in an Arizona clinic agreed to the facts that yoga would be beneficial as a treatment modality for depressive conditions among older adults. Discussion: Participants indicated they were open to recommending yoga as an adjunct therapy to older adults with depression and identified additional education on yoga education would be helpful. The ability of the mental health providers to participate in yoga education session indicates willingness to recommending yoga as a treatment option to older adults with depression. Further study is indicated to identify the efficacy of educating mental health providers on the benefits of yoga for older adults with depression