A randomized controlled trial with 183 adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder tested whether adding mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to standard treatment (TAU) improves cognitive function and reduces inflammatory markers. The MBCT group showed a noteworthy reduction in suicidal thoughts and greater improvement in depressive symptoms compared to the TAU-only group. Levels of the inflammatory marker IL-6 were significantly lower in the MBCT group after treatment. The results indicate that MBCT is effective and safe for reducing suicidal thoughts, alleviating depressive symptoms, and lowering serum IL-6 levels in depressed adolescents.
Adolescents with bipolar depression who also engage in non-suicidal self-injury showed greater improvement in impulsivity, mood, and cognitive function when mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was added to treatment as usual (TAU) compared with TAU alone. After 4 and 8 weeks, the MBCT group had lower scores on measures of impulsiveness, depression, and anxiety, and higher scores on tests of immediate and delayed memory, attention, language, and visuospatial ability. Serum levels of proBDNF, a protein linked to brain plasticity, were also lower in the MBCT group at both time points. The findings suggest that MBCT may reduce self-injurious behavior and improve cognitive function in this population.