JAMA Psychiatry
April 28, 2016
Willem Kuyken, Fiona C Warren, Rod S Taylor et al.
815 citations
For people with recurrent depression, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) reduces the risk of depressive relapse within a 60-week follow-up period compared with usual care or other active treatments, including antidepressants. A meta-analysis of individual patient data from 9 randomized trials involving 1258 patients (mean age 47.1 years, 75% female) found that those receiving MBCT had a 31% lower risk of relapse versus no MBCT (hazard ratio 0.69), and a 21% lower risk versus other active treatments (hazard ratio 0.79). Sociodemographic and psychiatric variables did not significantly modify the treatment effect, but greater severity of depressive symptoms before treatment was associated with a larger benefit from MBCT.
PLoS One
December 2, 2021
Imke Hanssen, Vera Scheepbouwer, Marloes J. Huijbers et al.
12 citations
Adverse effects during Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for bipolar disorder are not rare but are generally not serious or long-lasting. In a randomized trial with 144 patients, 29 reported adverse effects, most frequently in the first three weeks. Seven types of adverse effects were observed: cognitive, perceptual, affective, somatic, conative, sense of self, and social. Higher baseline anxiety increased risk. More than half of patients later viewed the adverse effects as part of a therapeutic process rather than harmful. Influencing factors included predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating, and mitigating elements.
Psychological Medicine
October 1, 2023
Imke Hanssen, Marloes J. Huijbers, Eline Regeer et al.
7 citations
Adding mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to treatment as usual (TAU) for bipolar disorder did not reduce depressive symptoms more than TAU alone at post-treatment or at 15 months follow-up. The 144 participants with bipolar I or II were randomly assigned to MBCT plus TAU or TAU only. At post-treatment, MBCT improved mindfulness skills more than TAU. At follow-up, TAU was more effective than MBCT plus TAU for reducing trait anxiety and improving mindfulness skills and positive mental health. Participants with higher baseline depression and functional impairment benefited more from MBCT plus TAU, suggesting MBCT may help those with moderate to severe depression and impairment.
Inflammatory bowel diseases
July 14, 2025
Milou M Ter Avest, Marloes J. Huijbers, Carmen S Horjus et al.
6 citations
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) added to usual care reduces psychological distress and improves well-being in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who are in remission but experiencing at least mild distress. In a randomized trial with 142 participants, those receiving group MBCT showed a moderate reduction in distress (effect size -0.61) and improved well-being (0.40) after the intervention, with effects strengthening over time. Objective sleep measures indicated less total sleep time but a higher proportion of deep sleep. Although flare rates did not differ, fecal calprotectin levels, a marker of gut inflammation, decreased in the MBCT group over the follow-up period (effect size -0.49). MBCT may benefit both psychological and biological aspects of IBD.
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
September 12, 2023
Ben Wijnen, Maud Jansen, Annelieke Van Velthoven et al.
2 citations
Adding mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to treatment as usual (TAU) for adults with bipolar disorder is likely cost-effective compared to TAU alone. Over 15 months, total societal costs were €615 lower for the MBCT-plus-TAU group, and healthcare costs differed significantly between groups. A small gain in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) combined with lower costs (€836 after adjustment) made MBCT-plus-TAU the dominant strategy. The probability that the combination was cost-effective was 65%. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these results. The difference in clinical effect was small or negligible, but the intervention still reduced overall costs.
Mindfulness
October 1, 2020
Marleen J. Ter Avest, Corina U. Greven, Marloes J. Huijbers et al.
During mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression, larger increases in mindfulness were associated with larger increases in positive affect, while higher general levels of negative affect were linked to smaller increases in mindfulness over time. Week-to-week effects showed no reciprocal cross-lagged effects between mindfulness and positive or negative affect, except that positive affect at session 2 was positively associated with mindfulness at session 3. The study used data from 235 patients with recurrent depression in remission or partial remission, measuring mindfulness, positive affect, and negative affect before each MBCT session.
Thalia D.M. Stalmeier, Jelle Lubbers, Mira B. Cladder-Micus et al.
In people with bipolar disorder, negative self-referential processing—how one attributes negative traits to oneself and remembers them—is linked to depressive symptoms. In a randomized trial, 49 participants with bipolar disorder were assigned to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy plus treatment as usual or treatment as usual alone. Those who received MBCT showed a reduction in negative self-referential memory bias over time compared to the control group, while positive and negative self-attributions did not change differently between groups. The findings suggest that MBCT may specifically reduce negative memory bias, which could play a role in preventing or treating depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder.