Influence of adjuvant mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans – results from a randomized control study
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy June 12, 2018 Mostafa Jasbi, D. Sadeghi Bahmani, G. Karami et al.
Among Iranian veterans of the Iran–Iraq war, adding mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to standard treatment with citalopram reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress more than standard treatment alone. Forty-eight male veterans (average age 52.97 years) were randomly assigned to eight weekly group MBCT sessions or to socio-therapeutic meetings of equal frequency and duration. All participants continued citalopram (30–50 mg/day). After eight weeks, scores for PTSD re-experiencing, avoidance, negative mood and cognition, hyperarousal, depression, anxiety, and stress decreased in both groups, but the reductions were larger in the MBCT group. The data suggest MBCT as an effective adjuvant intervention.