Effectiveness of the BodyMind Approach® for women with depression and medically unexplained symptoms in Taiwan

Abstract

This article aims to examine the hypothesis that The BodyMind Approach® (TBMA) can effectively decrease depression and the distress experienced from medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) for women in Taiwan. A quasi-experimental design was adopted to examine this hypothesis along with the use of questionnaires and a repertory grid technique (RGT). The former was used to objectively examine changes in depression and MUS distress levels, while the RGT was used to examine any changes in subjects’ psychological construct system in terms of their intra- and interrelationships in their personal context. A case study at the end presents the effectiveness of TBMA. The results showed that TBMA was more effective for reducing the distress of MUS than for reducing depression. However, its effectiveness for managing the rigid perception of social roles also cannot be strongly asserted. Nevertheless, the client in the case study showed significant improvement in lower levels of depression and MUS distress, and in psychological construct integration after treatment. This research is expected to contribute to indigenous psychology by providing an example of the adoption of a Western-developed research method (RGT) and intervention (TBMA) while retaining cultural sensitivity. TBMA is introduced as an alternative treatment for managing depression and MUS distress in Taiwan.