Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression.
Dolly Kumari, Nikhar Satyapal
Industrial Psychiatry Journal October 29, 2024 DOI: 10.4103/ipj.ipj_127_24 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 30-year-old married, postgraduate, Hindi-speaking Hindu woman of middle socioeconomic status from an urban area, presenting with persistent low mood and related depressive symptoms for three months |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) antidepressants |
| Duration | 8 weeks of therapy sessions with a 1-month follow-up |
| Measures | Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hopelessness Scale of Beck et al. (HSB), WHOQOL-BRIEF |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Key findings | The patient's depression, hopelessness, and quality-of-life scores improved after eight weeks of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and remained improved at one-month follow-up. The authors argue that MBCT works by helping patients disengage from distorted negative cognition and attend to the present moment, and propose it as a promising treatment for reducing depression severity and improving quality of life. |
Abstract
Dear Editor, Mindfulness gives a sight to be aware of the present moment-by-moment sensations, emotions, thoughts, and experiences with a non-judgmental attitude.[1,2] Practitioners of mindfulness learn to live in the present moment and not travel in the past or future with their emotional interpretations of events which leads to pain in life. This technique is helpful in patient groups to overcome their depressive feeling, emotions, and behavior.[3-6] Two approaches of mindfulness that are widely evaluated and effective are Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). MBCT and MBSR both are also effective in clinical depression. Practicing it decreases the risk of relapse in depression.[1-3] A, 30 yrs old female, post-graduate, married, Hindu, Hindi speaking, belongs to middle socioeconomic status, and from an urban area came to OPD with her husband for persistent low mood, crying spells, lack of joy in every activity, inability to perform household chores, avoiding others and try to live in her room alone, hopelessness, worthlessness, disturbed sleep and appetite from last three months. She was treated with antidepressants by a Psychiatrist with gradual response and referred for psychotherapy. A detailed interview showed that the patient’s illness was precipitated by her repeated failure to get her desired job. Strained relationships and conflicts with her in-law also contribute to maintaining her problems. Due to her husband’s job, they had to live far away from their native place leading to a sense of loneliness, lack of support, avoidance behavior, and poor motivation for activities. She was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hopelessness Scale of Beck et al.[4] (HSB), and WHOQOL-BRIEF at baseline, after 8 weeks of therapy sessions to understand the efficacy of Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and again after a follow-up period of next one month to know the durability of the management [Table 1].Table 1: Shows the pre-, post, and follow-up assessment scores of the patient on BDI, HSB, and WHOQOL-BRIEFHer scores on BDI suggest a severe level of depression at baseline. High on all domains of the hopelessness scale suggests a sense of hopelessness, negative expectations, and low motivation for the future. After intervention and in follow up she showed improvement in depressive symptoms and have hope in her life. Scores on WHOQOL-BRIEF were found low in baseline assessment on all domains. Anxiety and depression contribute to worsening the quality of life of sufferers due to poor support, lack of functioning, poor health, and low mood. Post-intervention scores were suggestive of improved quality of life in the patient which was maintained in follow-up. She improved in all domains of quality of life after intervention. Previous studies supported the result that MBCT provides an improvement in depressive symptoms, relapse prevention, and quality of life in patients with depression.[5-7] Depressive symptoms are colored with lots of negative emotions and cognitions, distorted ways of evaluation of self, others, and events, judgmental thinking, and pessimism. MBCT effectively deals with depressive symptoms. The results propose that depressive symptoms can be healed by disengaging from distorted cognition and restructuring it, increasing attention to the present moment through mindfulness exercises. It is a promising treatment for turning down the severity of depression and improving quality of life. Declaration of patient consent The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent forms. In the form the patient(s) has/have given his/her/their consent for his/her/their images and other clinical information to be reported in the journal. The patients understand that their names and initials will not be published and due efforts will be made to conceal their identity, but anonymity cannot be guaranteed. Author’s contribution Concept, design, definition of intellectual content, literature search, data acquisition: DK, NS Manuscript preparation: DK, NS. Manuscript editing and manuscript review. DK. Guarantor: DK. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 273
- Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology October 27, 2008
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- Interoception, contemplative practice, and health Frontiers in Psychology June 9, 2015
- Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes Behaviour Research and Therapy May 10, 2017
- The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials Perspectives on Psychological Science February 16, 2021
and 268 more in the library
Cites 5
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- Effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials Journal of Research in Nursing November 29, 2012
- Mindfulness-based interventions for people diagnosed with a current episode of an anxiety or depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. PLoS One June 15, 2016
- Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared with maintenance antidepressant treatment in the prevention of depressive relapse or recurrence (PREVENT): a randomised controlled trial The Lancet July 4, 2015
- The efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in recurrent depressed patients with and without a current depressive episode: a randomized controlled trial. Psychological Medicine May 2012