Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Reduces the Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Cognitions in Patients With a History of Suicidal Depression
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.