Yoga as a Potential Tool for Filling Implementation Gap in Promoting Better Mental Health in Geriatric Age Group at Global Level: A Scoping Review

Abstract

This scoping review aims to review the effectiveness of yoga as a complementary intervention for improving mental health outcomes in the geriatric population globally. Yoga is practiced by millions worldwide. Since practitioners of yoga claim to have calmer minds and better psychological and physical health, this topic needs to be reviewed at length. There is a considerable treatment gap worldwide in treating mental disorders, especially in old age, and there is a shortage of low-cost, feasible, and acceptable preventive or treatment options available to tackle mental ailments for the senior population at large. Yoga can potentially act as a low-cost intervention for promoting better mental health. The article reviews yoga as an implementation strategy for meeting this global challenge. Information related to “Yoga and Mental Health” and “Yoga and old age” was searched in two databases, i.e., PubMed and Google Scholar, using a standard search strategy and search strings. Only the articles published in the English language were selected. A standard data extraction form was used to extract and tabulate the data. A comprehensive search strategy (annexed) yielded only two papers as the work on implementation research on mental health is dismal. Both were excluded as the papers did not belong to implementation research. However, for the sake of narrative review, a common search strategy in PubMed included key terms such as “yoga and aging and mental health” and yielded 54 results out of which 7 were included for this scoping review. Comprehensive advanced search from Google Scholar revealed 4850 articles. Screening found 1 implementation research abstract only and two clinical trials. None was included as they did not belong to implementation research. Considering the potential that yoga has as a preventive and therapeutic option, scientific work on implementation research involving mental health and yoga is required. Considering the bludgeoning amount of work done on the subject, there is a possibility of including the same in mainstream medicine as a low-cost preventive or therapeutic option to address the implementation gap in mental health, especially for the senior age group.