The impact of mindfulness on suicidal behavior: a systematic review.
Kyara Rodrigues De Aguiar, Júlia Bierhals Bilhalva, Mariana Dias Cabelleira, Giovanna Oliveira Guimarães, Thiago Madureira, Arela Agako, Marília Silva De Souza, Luciano Dias de Mattos Souza
Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy May 18, 2022 DOI: 10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0316 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Daily Mindfulness Meditation Practice Mind Body Awareness Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Suicide behavior Suicide ideation Systematic review |
| Key findings | The authors conclude that mindfulness-based interventions show promising results for reducing suicide risk, especially in patients with major depressive disorder, with all four studies of other MBI protocols indicating reductions in suicide-risk factors. They suggest MBI may target specific processes contributing to suicide risk reduction. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have been growing progressively as treatment options in the field of mental health. Aim: To assess the impact of mindfulness-based interventions for reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. A systematic review was performed in December 2020 using PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, SciELO, Pepsic, and LILACS databases with no year restrictions. The search strategy included the terms ('mindfulness' OR 'mindfulness-based') AND ('suicide' OR 'suicidal' OR 'suicide risk' OR 'suicide attempt' OR 'suicide ideation' OR 'suicide behavior'). The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), CRD42020219514. A total of 14 studies met all inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Most of the studies presented Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy as the MBI assessed (n=10). An emerging and rapidly growing literature on MBI presents promising results in reduction of suicide risk, particularly in patients with MDD. Four studies assessing other MBI treatment protocols (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction; Daily Mindfulness Meditation Practice; Mind Body Awareness and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy) all demonstrated that MBI reduces factors associated with suicide risk. MBI might target specific processes and contribute to suicide risk reduction.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Meditation and Its Mental and Physical Health Benefits in 2023. Cureus June 1, 2023
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for major depressive disorder in undergraduate students: Dose- response effect, inflammatory markers and BDNF. Psychiatry Research 2024
- The Influence of Prior Sensory Context on Meditative Neural States Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science 2025
Cites 21
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- Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Reduces Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation in Veterans Medical Care November 13, 2014
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and 16 more in the library