The Effects of Tai Chi and Qigong on Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

Ms. Chen is a 61-year-old married Chinese female who emigrated from Taiwan more than 30 years ago. She lives with her husband and has an adult child who has a part-time job. She came to the United States as a student, attended a 4-year college, and worked in an office for about 20 years until she was laid off 3 years ago. She reported she had her first onset of depression when she was in her late twenties. She received fluoxetine treatment for a brief period during one of her previous episodes, but stopped taking the medication after experiencing some side effects. The onset of her current depressive episode was about 3 months ago. She reported life stressors including marital issues and worries about her son who had difficulty finding fulltime employment after he finished college and had not been more proactive to build up his career. She had not received psychiatric treatment during the current episode, because she questioned the usefulness of taking antidepressants. She also did not want to rely on medications for her depression with which she had been suffering intermittently for a long time. She denied having a history of bipolar disorder, psychotic symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder, or substance use disorder. She reported depressed mood, loss of interests, insomnia, fatigue, loss of appetite, and guilt feelings, and her job performance and family relationship had been affected by her depression. Her total score on the Patient Health Questionnaire was 18, compatible with being moderately depressed. She saw the advertisement for a depression study that offered Tai Chi as a treatment. She had never practiced Tai Chi or other mind-body interventions, but had heard that these could be good for her health. She contacted the study staff and was enrolled into the study after she was interviewed and deemed eligible for the study. During that episode, Ms. Chen did not receive medication or psychotherapy treatment for depression. Ms. Chen joined seven other study participants who were also recruited into the 8-week study to receive Tai Chi for their depression. They were taught by an experienced Tai Chi instructor with more than 20 years of experience. The class met twice weekly for 8 weeks, and each class was 90 min long. Each class started with warm up exercises, including some stretching and movements to loosen up the body. The instructor taught the first 1/3 of the Yang-style (details of this form will be described later) long-form Tai Chi over the course of 8 weeks. The lessons involved repeated demonstrations, practice by the students, and ample opportunities for questions and discussion. The students were encouraged to interact and support each other during the classes and practice at home daily for 30 min or more at least 5 days a week. After 3-4 weeks, participants were gradually able to complete the first section of the Yang-style Tai Chi form on their own, and they used the remaining classes to refine their postures and movements. The participants showed great enthusiasm in learning Tai Chi, obtained and provided support to each other, gained confidence in both practicing Tai Chi moves and in themselves, and showed gradual alleviation of their depression symptoms during the study. At the end of the 8 weeks, Ms. Chen's depression had remitted with minimal residual symptoms. She reported that while situations at home had not changed too much, she was less concerned about them. She became more optimistic that things would become better over time.