Share

Mindfulness therapy may help depression

accreditation
Mindfulness – Google Free Images
Mindfulness – Google Free Images

Mindfulness therapy may help reduce the risk of repeated bouts of depression, researchers report.

Greater benefits than other treatments

One expert not connected to the study explained the mindfulness approach.

"Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy enhances awareness of thoughts and emotions being experienced, and enables development of skills to better cope with them," said Dr Ami Baxi, a psychiatrist who directs adult inpatient services at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

In the new study, a team led by Willem Kuyken, of the University of Oxford in England, analysed the findings of nine published studies. The research included a total of almost 1,300 patients with a history of depression.

Read: How treating depression with mindfulness can be beneficial for South Africans

The studies compared the effectiveness of mindfulness therapy against usual depression care and other active treatments, including antidepressants.

After 60 weeks of follow-up, those who received mindfulness therapy were less likely to have undergone a relapse of depression than those who received usual care, and had about the same risk of those who received other active treatments, the team reported.

The study authors also believe that mindfulness therapy may provide greater benefits than other treatments for patients with more severe depression.

The study was published online in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Read: Depression and suicide: SA's unseen killers

Mindfulness practices were not originally developed as therapeutic treatments," Richard Davidson, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote in an accompanying editorial.

"They emerged originally in contemplative traditions for the purposes of cultivating well-being and virtue," he explained.

Increased awareness

"The questions of whether and how they might be helpful in alleviating symptoms of depression and other related psychopathologies are quite new, and the evidence base is in its embryonic stage," according to Davidson.

While this review is the most comprehensive analysis of data to date, it "also raises many questions, and the limited nature of the extant evidence underscores the critical need for additional research", Davidson concluded.

Read: Alternative treatment for mild depression

However, another psychologist said she is already using mindfulness therapy in her practice.

"I have increasingly incorporated mindfulness based-interventions into my work with children, adolescents and adults, and I've seen how it has improved treatment outcome and overall well-being in my clients," said Jill Emanuele. She is senior clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute in New York City.

Emanuele said there is growing evidence that the approach brings patients "increased awareness of emotions and thoughts, and the ability to more effectively regulate and cope with them."

Read more:

Causes of depression

Risk factors of depression

Treating depression

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE