A qualitative exploration into the experience of mindfulness in moderate-severe persistent depression.
PLoS One January 1, 2025 Timothy Sweeney, Elena Nixon, Richard Morriss et al.
Depression affects about 5% of people worldwide, with high relapse rates and 10-20% experiencing chronic depression. In 20 participants with moderate-to-severe persistent depression who had no prior mindfulness training, interviews revealed that mindfulness capacity decreases during depressive episodes. Six themes emerged: behavioral withdrawal, perceptual detachment from experience, intentional reduction in awareness, increased self-criticism, racing thoughts, and impaired cognitive performance. Reduced mindfulness appears to occur both as an indirect consequence of depression-related processes like rumination and as a deliberate self-protective strategy, but it also maintains and intensifies depressive experience. Introducing mindfulness-based treatments to this population may be challenging because severe symptoms can obstruct access to a mindful perspective.