Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as a treatment for chronic depression: A preliminary study
Thorsten Barnhofer, Catherine Crane, Emily Hargus, Myanthi Amarasinghe, Rosie Winder, J. Mark G. Williams
Behaviour Research and Therapy February 13, 2009 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2009.01.019 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 28 |
| Population | Currently symptomatic patients with chronic-recurrent depression, at least three previous episodes, and a history of suicidal ideation |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy |
| Duration | Before and after treatment phase |
| Topics | Meditation Depression |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Depression economics Clinical psychology Group psychotherapy Psychological intervention Psychotherapist Generalizability theory Cognition |
| Citations | 398 |
| Key findings | MBCT plus treatment-as-usual reduced depressive symptoms from severe to mild and decreased the number of patients meeting full depression criteria, while treatment-as-usual alone showed no significant change. |
Abstract
This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a treatment combining mindfulness meditation and interventions taken from cognitive therapy, in patients suffering from chronic-recurrent depression. Currently symptomatic patients with at least three previous episodes of depression and a history of suicidal ideation were randomly allocated to receive either MBCT delivered in addition to treatment-as-usual (TAU; N=14 completers) or TAU alone (N=14 completers). Depressive symptoms and diagnostic status were assessed before and after treatment phase. Self-reported symptoms of depression decreased from severe to mild levels in the MBCT group while there was no significant change in the TAU group. Similarly, numbers of patients meeting full criteria for depression decreased significantly more in the MBCT group than in the TAU group. Results are consistent with previous uncontrolled studies. Although based on a small sample and, therefore, limited in their generalizability, they provide further preliminary evidence that MBCT can be used to successfully reduce current symptoms in patients suffering from a protracted course of the disorder.