Trials
January 19, 2023
T. Barnhofer, B. Dunn, C. Strauss et al.
This paper describes a planned randomized controlled trial testing whether Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), added to treatment as usual, reduces depression symptoms more than treatment as usual alone in patients who have not responded to at least 12 sessions of high-intensity psychological therapy through England's Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services. The trial will enroll patients meeting criteria for major depressive disorder, randomizing them to MBCT plus usual care or usual care alone. Assessments occur at baseline, 10 weeks, and 34 weeks post-randomization. The primary outcome is depression symptom reduction at 34 weeks measured by the PHQ-9. Cost-effectiveness will also be evaluated.
Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging
July 23, 2020
K. Williams, R. Elliott, S. Mckie et al.
After mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), people in remission from major depressive disorder showed reduced brain activation in the bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate and medial superior frontal gyrus when blaming themselves compared to blaming others. Increased self-kindness after MBCT correlated with reduced activation in the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus during self-blame. These findings suggest MBCT may alter neural responses to self-blame, possibly through increasing self-kindness. The study was small, with 16 participants, and lacked a control group, so results require confirmation.
Behaviour Research and Therapy
December 1, 2017
Emilia Winnebeck, Maria Fißler, M. Gärtner et al.
A brief mindfulness-based intervention (three individual sessions plus home practice) reduced depressive symptoms more than a control condition combining psycho-education and rest in 74 acutely depressed patients with chronic or recurrent depression. Only the mindfulness group showed increases in mindfulness and decreases in ruminative tendencies and cognitive reactivity. The findings suggest that targeted mindfulness training can help alleviate current symptoms and buffer maladaptive responses to negative mood in this population.
Psychological Assessment
April 14, 2016
Jenny Gu, C. Strauss, C. Crane et al.
The 39-item and 15-item versions of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) show different factor structures before and after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in adults with remitted recurrent depression. Before MBCT, a four-factor model (excluding the Observing facet) best fit the data; after MBCT, a five-factor model fit best. Configural invariance across time was not supported, meaning the questionnaire's structure changes with intervention, which may invalidate direct pre-to-post comparisons. Both versions had adequate internal consistency and sensitivity to change and did not differ in convergent validity. Researchers should consider omitting the Observing subscale when comparing scores before and after mindfulness interventions. The FFMQ-15 is a suitable brief alternative.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
August 24, 2015
T. Barnhofer, C. Crane, Kate Brennan et al.
Mindfulness training can weaken the link between depressive symptoms and suicidal thinking in patients with a history of suicidal depression. In a randomized trial, previously suicidal patients received mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), an active control treatment (cognitive psychoeducation, CPE), or treatment as usual (TAU). After treatment, among patients with minimal to moderate depressive symptoms, suicidal cognitions were significantly related to symptom levels in both control groups but not in the MBCT group. This suggests that mindfulness training helps patients decenter from negative thinking, reducing a key vulnerability for relapse into suicidal depression.
Behaviour Research and Therapy
December 1, 2014
Catherine Crane, Rebecca S. Crane, Catrin Eames et al.
In people with recurrent major depression who received Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, those who practiced formal mindfulness exercises at home on at least three days per week during the seven-week treatment were almost half as likely to relapse over the following year as those who practiced less often. The average daily duration of formal practice was also linked to better outcomes. These associations held even after accounting for how plausible participants found the treatment. No significant link was found between informal mindfulness practice and relapse risk, possibly because informal practice is harder to measure. The findings suggest that regular formal home practice enhances the protective effect of MBCT against depression relapse.
Journal of Affective Disorders
April 1, 2008
J.M.G. Williams, Y. Alatiq, C. Crane et al.
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder who were in remission but had suicidal ideation or behavior. In a small pilot randomized trial, bipolar participants receiving MBCT showed greater immediate improvement in anxiety compared to those on a waitlist, and both bipolar and unipolar participants had fewer residual depressive symptoms. The findings are preliminary due to the small sample and cannot be generalized to individuals without suicidal symptoms.