Effect of yoga therapy as an add-on to conventional medicine in improving cognitive functions and depressive symptoms in major depressive disorder: A case report.

Major depressive disorder is a common mental disorder with a lifetime prevalence of 4.4 % worldwide. Cognitive dysfunction is a consequence of MDD. A 27-year-old female with MDD since 2015 experienced an acute MDD episode with anxiety, extreme sadness, poor memory, and impaired attention in July 2023 after discontinuation of anti-depressants. She was on anti-depressants since 2023, yet symptoms persisted. She enrolled in yoga therapy in January 2024. Yoga therapy consisted of a 60-min yoga session every day of the week for 12 weeks. She was followed up twice, on the 15th and 90th day. The selective and sustained attention, working memory and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Attention Network Test, Colour Stroop test, Corsi Block test, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, respectively. There was marked improvement in selected and sustained attention and depressive symptoms but no improvement in working memory on the 90th day compared to baseline and 15th day. This case study concludes that yoga therapy as an add-on to the conventional treatment of MDD may enhance cognition and reduce depressive symptoms in patients with MDD who have a poor response to conventional anti-depressant treatment. This case study provides insights into the possible role of yoga in MDD patients who poorly respond to conventional anti-depressant therapy.