Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy vs. psycho-education for patients with major depression who did not achieve remission following antidepressant treatment.
Alberto Chiesa, Vittoria Castagner, Costanza Andrisano, Alessandro Serretti, Laura Mandelli, Stefano Porcelli, Fabio Giommi
Psychiatry Research April 30, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.02.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 43 |
| Population | Patients with major depression who did not achieve remission following at least 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) psycho-education |
| Duration | 26 weeks |
| Measures | Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) |
| Topics | Meditation Depression |
| Keywords | Cognitive therapy Major depression Response |
| Key findings | MBCT produced greater improvements than a structurally equivalent psycho-education control on depression severity (HAM-D and BDI-II), quality of life, and mindfulness, with differences most evident over the long term. The authors suggest MBCT is superior to psycho-education for non-remitted major depression, though they note the small sample size limits the findings. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) showed efficacy for currently depressed patients. However, most of the available studies suffer from important methodological shortcomings, including the lack of adequate control groups. The present study aims to compare MBCT with a psycho-educational control group designed to be structurally equivalent to the MBCT program but excluding the main putative "active ingredient" of MBCT (i.e., mindfulness meditation practice) for the treatment of patients with major depression (MD) who did not achieve remission following at least 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment. Out of 106 screened subjects, 43 were randomized to receive MBCT or psycho-education and were prospectively followed for 26 weeks. MD severity was assessed with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Measures of anxiety, mindfulness, and quality of life were also included. All assessments were performed at baseline, 4, 8, 17 and 26-weeks. Both HAM-D and BDI scores, as well as quality of life and mindfulness scores, showed higher improvements, which were particularly evident over the long-term period, in the MBCT group than in the psycho-education group. Although limited by a small sample size, the results of this study suggest the superiority of MBCT over psycho-education for non-remitted MD subjects.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 37
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2016
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for the treatment of current depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis Cognitive Behaviour Therapy February 8, 2019
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in patients with depression: current perspectives Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment June 1, 2018
- The Efficacy and Durability of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in the Treatment of Anxiety and Depressive Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine May 1, 2025
- Effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions in reducing depressive symptoms across mental disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychiatry Research June 1, 2025
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Cites 24
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- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
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