The Promotion of Mindfulness-based Interventions as a Panacea for Mental Health Issues: Social, Political and Ethical Implications
Keywords:
Mindfulness-Based Intervention, Complementary Medicine, Alternative Medicine, Mental Health, EthicsAbstract
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are being increasingly used as a form of complementary and alternative medicine to improve mental wellbeing. Being relatively safe and cost-effective, they have gained popularity in various settings including healthcare, workplace and schools where they are used to treat anxiety, stress, depression, psychosis, insomnia, addiction, hypertension and pain. Additionally, they are fast becoming a favoured regimen in the treatment of substance abuse, binge eating, problem gambling and anti-social behaviours. However, mental health is complex and dependent on many factors. Consequently, the promotion of MBIs as the panacea for mental wellbeing is contentious for three main reasons: firstly, it pins down the individual as solely responsible for their mental woes; secondly, it underplays the organisational and social determinants of mental health issues and the collective measures needed to address them; and thirdly, far from being value-free, it promotes a particular worldview and way of life in the public sphere.
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