這一簡單的習慣或能幫你戰勝抑鬱
When someone has clinical depression, it's important they see a doctor or a mental-health professional who can evaluate them properly and provide effective options for treatment. But there's also something known in the psychology world as subthreshold depression-a condition in which people exhibit some symptoms of depression, but not enough for a clinical diagnosis.
當某人患有抑鬱症時，看醫生或者諮詢心理健康專家是很重要的，他們能恰當評估患者的狀況，爲他們提供有效的治療方法。但心理學也有一種叫做閾下抑鬱的抑鬱症--人們呈現出抑鬱症的症狀，但還不足以臨牀診斷是否患有抑鬱症。
It's estimated that between 10% and 24% of the population has subthreshold depression (sometimes referred to as mild depression) at some point in their lives. And for those people, a new study suggests, practicing mindfulness meditation may help improve their mood and reduce their risk of developing depression. The study, published in the Annals of Family Medicine, highlights yet another reason why meditation may be good for both physical and mental health.
據估計，10%至24%的人口都會在生命中的某個階段患有閾下抑鬱（有時候也叫做輕度抑鬱症）。於這些人而言，一項新研究表明：練習正念冥想或有助於讓他們的心情變好，降低他們患抑鬱症的風險。研究發表在《家庭醫學年報》期刊上，強調了冥想或有利於身心健康的另一個原因。
The study included 231 Chinese adults with subthreshold depression, meaning they scored between five and nine out of a total of 27 points on a standard depression scale. Half received mindfulness training two hours a week for eight weeks, while the other half received no special treatment but continued to receive their usual medical care.
研究對象是患有閾下抑鬱的231位中國成年人，這就意味着如果標準抑鬱症的症狀爲27分，那麼這些人的得分情況則爲5至9分。一半的人接受了正念訓練，持續八週，每週訓練兩小時。而另一半沒有接受特殊治療，只是繼續以往的醫療護理
During the mindfulness training, participants were instructed on setting short- and long-term goals; monitoring their activity and mood; planning out their activities; body scanning; and both sitting and walking meditations. They were also provided a CD of audio recordings for guided meditations and were asked to practice at home at least six days a week.
正念訓練階段，受試者被指導設定短期和長期目標；檢測身體活動和心情；計劃自己的活動；掃描身體；坐着冥想和走着冥想。同時，這些受試者還拿到了一張指導他們冥想的錄音光盤，被要求每週至少在家鍛鍊6天。
These techniques combine traditional meditation with behavioral activation, a type of therapy that uses an "outside in" approach to help people change the way they act and aims to increase rewarding experiences in their lives. Behavioral activation has been shown to be an effective treatment for moderate to severe depression in other studies, and the researchers wanted to know if it would work as a preventive measure as well.
這些方法將傳統冥想與行爲激活結合在一起，這種治療類型使用一種"由外而內"的方法，以幫助人們改變他們的行動方式，致力於增加他們生活中令人滿足的經歷。在其它研究中，行爲激活已被證明是一種有效治療中度至重度抑鬱症的方法，研究員希望弄清楚這種治療方法能否被用作預防措施。
At the end of those eight weeks, the group that received mindfulness training reported a significant decrease in depression and anxiety symptoms compared to the group that did not. And a year after the study began, only 11% of participants in the mindfulness group had developed clinical depression (also known as major depressive disorder), compared to 27% in the control group.
8周結束後，與沒有接受正念訓練的小組相比，接受正念訓練的小組抑鬱症和焦慮症症狀明顯降低。研究開始一年後，正念小組中只有11%的受試者患了抑鬱症（也叫做重度抑鬱症），而對照組有27%的受試者患了抑鬱症。
