The Compassion and Attention Longitudinal Meditation Study

Exclusion Criteria

• •current major depression
• •current substance abuse
• •lifetime history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder type I as assessed by the Structured Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV (SCID)
• •suicidal ideation or suicide attempt within one year of study enrollment
• •diagnosis of any serious ongoing medical condition including malignancy, auto-immune disease (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease), cardiovascular disease (other than hypertension), seizure disorder, endocrinopathy, chronic infection (i.e. human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B or C), renal or hepatic insufficiency, or any other current or past medical or psychiatric condition that might increase the risk of study participation in the opinion of study personnel
• •treatment with psychotropic medications within the last year (i.e. antidepressants, anxiolytics, psychostimulants or mood stabilizers)
• •active ongoing psychiatric treatment at the time of enrollment.
• •use of any psychotropic medication (i.e. antidepressants, anxiolytics, psychostimulants or mood stabilizers) within one year of screening.
• •chronic use of anti-inflammatory/immunosuppressive agents, including, but not limited to, aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, COX-2 inhibitors, corticosteroids, etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab or methotrexate.
• •any significant past meditation training/experience (defined as meditating more than 3 times a week for a period longer than a month)