Follow-up outcomes of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for patients with chronic, treatment-resistant depression.
Journal of Affective Disorders May 1, 2023 M. Cladder-Micus, J. Vrijsen, A. Fest et al.
For chronically depressed patients who have not responded to prior treatments, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) produces clinical benefits that persist for at least six months after the program ends. Depressive symptoms, quality of life, rumination, mindfulness skills, and self-compassion all remained stable during follow-up, and remission rates actually increased further. Patients who entered treatment with higher levels of rumination showed greater reductions in depressive symptoms and better quality of life at six months, after accounting for initial symptom severity. Other factors—duration of the current depressive episode, degree of treatment resistance, childhood trauma, and baseline mindfulness or self-compassion—did not predict outcomes.