AUTHOR=Bhargav Hemant , Eiman Najla , Jasti Nishitha , More Pooja , Kumar Vinod , Holla Bharath , Arasappa Rashmi , Rao Naren P. , Varambally Shivarama , Gangadhar B.N. , Keshavan Matcheri S. 

TITLE=Composition of yoga-philosophy based mental traits (Gunas) in major psychiatric disorders: A trans-diagnostic approach

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1075060

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1075060

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>Yoga philosophy includes the theory of <italic>Tri-guna</italic> (three mental traits): <italic>sattva</italic> (signifies a tendency to ‘goodness’), <italic>rajas</italic> (tendency towards ‘activity’), and <italic>tamas</italic> (tendency towards “inertia”). This cross-sectional study aimed to understand the differences in the expression of <italic>gunas</italic> in patients suffering from major psychiatric disorders (<italic>n</italic> = 113, 40 females) and age-gender-education-matched healthy controls (HCs; <italic>n</italic> = 113, 40 females). Patients were diagnosed by a psychiatrist using DSM 5 criteria and suffered from the following disorders: depression (<italic>n</italic> = 30), schizophrenia (SCZ; <italic>n</italic> = 28), obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD; <italic>n</italic> = 23), anxiety (<italic>n</italic> = 16), and bipolar affective disorder (BPAD; <italic>n</italic> = 16). <italic>Tri-gunas</italic> were assessed using a validated tool (Vedic Personality Inventory) and symptoms were assessed using standard scales as per the diagnosis. Multi-variate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to assess the differences in <italic>guna</italic> scores between HCs and patients, and between patients with different diagnoses. A two-tailed Pearson correlation was performed between the <italic>gunas</italic> and psychometric scales. Results revealed that HCs had significantly higher <italic>sattva</italic> traits as compared to patients (except those with OCD). Each psychiatric diagnosis also showed a specific <italic>guna</italic> configuration: (1) Anxiety disorders and OCD: High <italic>sattva-rajas</italic>, low <italic>tamas</italic>; (2) Depression: High <italic>sattva-tamas</italic>, low <italic>rajas</italic>; (3) Psychotic disorders (SCZ/BPAD): High <italic>tamo-rajas</italic>, low <italic>sattva</italic>. Significant positive correlations were observed between <italic>rajas</italic> traits and anxiety/OC/positive psychotic symptoms, negative psychotic symptoms and <italic>tamas</italic> traits, and <italic>sattva</italic> traits and OC symptoms. This finding has clinical implications, both to develop ways of predicting outcomes of psychiatric disorders, as well as to develop psycho-therapeutic and lifestyle interventions targeting the <italic>gunas</italic>.</p>