Yoga for schizophrenia: Patients' perspective

Yoga-based intervention is emerging as an effective add-on therapy in the management of schizophrenia. However, many barriers make it difficult for patients to avail yoga therapy programs. One of them is motivation for yoga therapy. Ways to address the barriers are critical to employ yoga as a treatment in this population.

This study aims at exploring patients' willingness to participate in add-on yoga therapy programs on out-patient basis.

The study was conducted on 100 schizophrenia patients attending psychiatry out-patient services of a tertiary care hospital.

A total of 100 schizophrenia patients (male: female = 57:43; age: 35.8 ± 9.2 years) attending the psychiatry out-patient services of a tertiary neuropsychiatry hospital were administered a survey questionnaire.

Chi-square test was used for testing the significance of proportions. P < 0.05 was taken to be significant.

About 46% were aware that yoga is also one of the complementary therapies useful in schizophrenia. 32% had tried yoga in the past for some reasons, but only 31% of them were continuing yoga; commonest reasons for not continuing being lack of motivation (31%) and inability to spare time (27.6%). However, the majority (88.5%) of them were willing to take up add-on yoga therapy on out-patient basis along with their regular medical follow-up.

In spite of the lack of motivation to practice yoga, the majority of patients were willing to participate in add-on yoga therapy programs if given on out-patient basis along with their regular conventional medical follow-up.