Adding mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to maintenance antidepressant medication for prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depressive disorder: Randomised controlled trial.
Marloes J. Huijbers, Philip Spinhoven, Jan Spijker, Henricus G. Ruhé, Digna J F Van Schaik, Patricia Van Oppen, Willem A Nolen, Johan Ormel, Willem Kuyken, Gert Jan Van der Wilt, Marc B J Blom, Aart H Schene, A Rogier T Donders, Anne E. M. Speckens
Journal of Affective Disorders November 15, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.08.023 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 68 |
| Population | Recurrently depressed patients in remission who had been using maintenance antidepressant medication for 6 months or longer |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) maintenance antidepressant medication (mADM) |
| Duration | 15-month follow-up |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Antidepressant medication Prevention Randomized controlled trial |
| Key findings | Adding MBCT to maintenance antidepressant medication did not significantly reduce depressive relapse/recurrence or residual depressive symptoms compared with medication alone over 15 months. The authors suggest the findings may reflect selection bias, since participants preferred continuing medication, recruitment was hampered by MBCT's growing availability, and about a quarter of control participants obtained MBCT elsewhere. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and maintenance antidepressant medication (mADM) both reduce the risk of relapse in recurrent depression, but their combination has not been studied. Our aim was to investigate whether the addition of MBCT to mADM is a more effective prevention strategy than mADM alone. This study is one of two multicenter randomised trials comparing the combination of MBCT and mADM to either intervention on its own. In the current trial, recurrently depressed patients in remission who had been using mADM for 6 months or longer (n=68), were randomly allocated to either MBCT+mADM (n=33) or mADM alone (n=35). Primary outcome was depressive relapse/recurrence within 15 months. Key secondary outcomes were time to relapse/recurrence and depression severity. Analyses were based on intention-to-treat. There were no significant differences between the groups on any of the outcome measures. The current study included patients who had recovered from depression with mADM and who preferred the certainty of continuing medication to the possibility of participating in MBCT. Lower expectations of mindfulness in the current trial, compared with the parallel trial, may have caused selection bias. In addition, recruitment was hampered by the increasing availability of MBCT in the Netherlands, and even about a quarter of participants included in the trial who were allocated to the control group chose to get MBCT elsewhere. For this selection of recurrently depressed patients in remission and using mADM for 6 months or longer, MBCT did not further reduce their risk for relapse/recurrence or their (residual) depressive symptoms.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 12
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Potential Synergies Mindfulness September 1, 2023
- Meditation and Medication—What About a Middle Path? JAMA Psychiatry October 26, 2016
- A Pilot Study of a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Internet Gaming Disorder Among College-Aged Students in South Korea Mindfulness June 1, 2026
- Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for prevention and time to depressive relapse: Systematic review and network meta‐analysis Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica October 9, 2020
and 7 more in the library
Cites 13
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2004
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for preventing relapse in recurrent depression: A randomized dismantling trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology December 3, 2013
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for recurrent depression: A translational research study with 2-year follow-up Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry March 4, 2014
and 8 more in the library