Efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in mitigating depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among institutionalized patients with major depressive disorder: findings from a randomized controlled trial.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience June 12, 2026 Zulkiflu Musa Argungu, Ali Alhaiti, Ebtesam Abdulrahman Jibreel
An 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program added to standard pharmacological care reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation more than standard care alone among 101 institutionalized patients with major depressive disorder in northern Nigeria. At the end of the 8-week intervention, MBCT patients scored an average of 9.4 points lower on the BDI-II depression scale and 5.7 points lower on the BSI suicidal ideation scale than controls. These improvements were still present at a 3-month follow-up, with large effect sizes. The findings suggest MBCT is a promising adjunct for institutionalized patients with MDD in this setting.