study released Wednesday showed mindfulness meditation was just as effective as medication for treating anxiety.

The study published by JAMA Psychiatry asked the query, “Is mindfulness-based stress reduction noninferior to escitalopram for the treatment of tension disorders?”

The six-month trial involved 208 adults with anxiety disorders in Washington, Boston and Latest York. The trial involved two groups: one dedicated to mindfulness and the opposite that took medication.

The researchers used a scale from 1-7 to weigh the extent of participants’ anxiety. The typical rating was about 4.5 originally and progressively reduced in each groups throughout the study.

Their findings concluded that “mindfulness-based stress reduction was a well-tolerated treatment option with comparable effectiveness to a first-line medication for patients with anxiety disorders.”

The study is a primary of its kind that has tested the effectiveness of meditation for general anxiety. Many individuals insist that meditation helps them calm their mind when done properly.

The researchers explained that the importance of the study is to assist put real science and facts behind an efficient anxiety treatment as some approved treatments have still proved to not achieve success for some.

The World Health Organization reported in March that after the pandemic there was a 25% increase within the prevalence of tension and depression worldwide.

“Anxiety disorders are common, highly distressing, and impairing conditions. Effective treatments exist, but many patients don’t access or reply to them. Mindfulness-based interventions, akin to mindfulness-based stress reduction, are popular and may decrease anxiety, nevertheless it is unknown how they compare to plain first-line treatments,” the study said.