Practice of Therapy Acquired Regulatory Skills and Depressive Relapse/Recurrence Prophylaxis Following Cognitive Therapy or Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology February 1, 2019 Z. Segal, A. Anderson, T. Gulamani et al.
Preventing relapse of major depression may depend on developing the ability to decenter from negative thoughts, not just on managing residual symptoms. In a 24-month follow-up of remitted depressed patients who completed either cognitive therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, growth in decentering and distress tolerance occurred after treatment ended, while residual symptoms did not change. Greater practice of therapy-acquired regulatory skills after treatment boosted decentering, which in turn predicted a reduced risk of relapse or recurrence over two years. Decentering slope was a significant predictor of prophylaxis, with a hazard ratio of 0.232.