Mindfulness therapy for somatization disorder and functional somatic syndromes: analysis of economic consequences alongside a randomized trial.
Lone Overby Fjorback, Tina Carstensen, Mikkel Arendt, Eva Ørnbøl, Harald Walach, Emma Rehfeld, Per Fink
Journal of Psychosomatic Research January 2013 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2012.09.010 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 119 |
| Population | Patients with bodily distress syndrome (BDS), including fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, compared with 5950 matched population controls |
| Interventions | Mindfulness therapy enhanced treatment as usual |
| Duration | 15-month follow-up; register data from 10 years before inclusion |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness therapy was associated with a lower rate of disability pension at 15-month follow-up (25%) than enhanced treatment as usual (45%). Total health care costs declined in both groups from the year before to the year after inclusion. BDS patients had significantly more weeks of unemployment and sickness benefit 5 and 10 years before inclusion than controls, which the authors propose as possible risk factors. |
Abstract
The objective of the present study is to estimate the economic consequences of somatization disorder and functional somatic syndromes such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, defined as bodily distress syndrome (BDS), when mindfulness therapy is compared with enhanced treatment as usual. A total of 119 BDS patients were randomized to mindfulness therapy or enhanced treatment as usual and compared with 5950 matched controls. Register data were analyzed from 10years before their inclusion to 15-month follow-up. The main outcome measures were disability pension at the 15-month follow-up and a reduction in total health care costs. Unemployment and sickness benefit prior to inclusion were tested as possible risk factors. At 15-month follow-up, 25% from the mindfulness therapy group received disability pension compared with 45% from the specialized treatment group (p=.025). The total health care utilization was reduced over time in both groups from the year before inclusion (mean $5325, median $2971) to the year after inclusion (mean $3644, median $1593) (p=.0001). This overall decline was seen in spite of elevated costs due to assessment and mindfulness therapy or enhanced treatment as usual. The BDS patients accumulated significantly more weeks of unemployment and sickness benefit 5 and 10years before inclusion (p<.0001) than the population controls. Mindfulness therapy may prevent disability pension and it may have a potential to significantly reduce societal costs and increase the effectiveness of care. Accumulated weeks of unemployment and sickness benefit are possible risk factors for BDS.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in a Self-Selecting and Self-Paying Community Setting Mindfulness December 18, 2017
- Cost-effectiveness of providing university students with a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce psychological distress: economic evaluation of a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open November 23, 2023
- Economic Evaluations of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: a Systematic Review. Mindfulness 2022
- Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction program on psychological symptoms, quality of life, and symptom severity in patients with somatic symptom disorder Advanced Biomedical Research March 29, 2021
and 6 more in the library
Cites 5
- Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica April 28, 2011
- Training Teachers to Deliver Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Learning from the UK Experience Mindfulness April 26, 2010
- Mindfulness therapy for somatization disorder and functional somatic syndromes: randomized trial with one-year follow-up. Journal of Psychosomatic Research January 2013
- Some reflections on the origins of MBSR, skillful means, and the trouble with maps June 14, 2011
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to prevent relapse in recurrent depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology December 1, 2008