Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression? (BBC News / Lancet)

Summary

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) may be a treatment option for recurrent clinical depression, as a possible alternative to maintenance antidepressant treatment.

The Prevention of Depressive Relapse or Recurrence (PREVENT) Trial tested whether MBCT with support to taper or discontinue antidepressant treatment (MBCT-TS) might be a superior alternative to maintenance antidepressants for prevention of depressive relapse / recurrence in adults (aged 22–78 years). There is no evidence, however, that MBCT-TS is better than antidepressant treatment for the prevention of depressive relapse. Both treatments offer enduring positive outcomes (in individuals without cognitive impairment or dementia at least).

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Reference

Mundasad, S. (2015). Depression: ‘Mindfulness-based therapy shows promise’. London: BBC Health News, April 21^st 2015.

“MBCT might offer a similar ongoing protective effect as that of maintenance antidepressants. MBCT therefore provides an alternative effective treatment for patients who cannot tolerate or do not wish to have maintenance antidepressant therapy… it is a group treatment that reduces costs and the number of trained staff needed, it might be feasible to offer MBCT as a choice to patients in general practice”. Mulder (2015).

This relates to:

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Reference

Kuyken, W. Hayes, R. [and] Barrett, B. [et al] (2015). Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared with maintenance antidepressant treatment in the prevention of depressive relapse or recurrence (PREVENT): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. April 21^st 2015, 6736(14).

Possibly also of interest:

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Reference

Mulder, R. (2015). Depression relapse: importance of a long-term perspective. Lancet. April 20^th 2015. [Epub ahead of print].

Depression Awareness Week

Depression Awareness Week (2015) takes place April 20^th – 26^th 2015.