Mindfulness based cognitive therapy for psychiatric disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to review and meta-analyze the efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for psychiatric patients, focusing on its impact on depression relapse, residual symptoms, and anxiety.
Results Summary
MBCT combined with usual care significantly reduced major depression relapses in patients with three or more prior episodes. It showed similar relapse rates to maintenance antidepressants when paired with gradual discontinuation and reduced residual depressive and anxiety symptoms in specific populations. However, methodological limitations were noted.
Population
Psychiatric patients, including those with major depression (three or more prior episodes), bipolar disorder in remission, and some anxiety disorders.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in adjunct to usual care | decrease | major depression (MD) relapses | patients with three or more prior depressive episodes | - | significantly better | #1 |
MBCT plus gradual discontinuation of maintenance ADs | no change | relapse rates at 1year | - | - | associated to similar relapse rates | #2 |
augmentation of MBCT | decrease | residual depressive symptoms | patients with MD | - | useful for reducing | #3 |
augmentation of MBCT | decrease | anxiety symptoms | patients with bipolar disorder in remission | - | useful for reducing | #4 |
augmentation of MBCT | decrease | anxiety symptoms | patients with some anxiety disorders | - | useful for reducing | #5 |
Mindfulness- based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a meditation program based on an integration of Cognitive behavioural therapy and Mindfulness-based stress reduction. The aim of the present work is to review and conduct a meta-analysis of the current findings about the efficacy of MBCT for psychiatric patients. A literature search was undertaken using five electronic databases and references of retrieved articles. Main findings included the following: 1) MBCT in adjunct to usual care was significantly better than usual care alone for reducing major depression (MD) relapses in patients with three or more prior depressive episodes (4 studies), 2) MBCT plus gradual discontinuation of maintenance ADs was associated to similar relapse rates at 1year as compared with continuation of maintenance antidepressants (1 study), 3) the augmentation of MBCT could be useful for reducing residual depressive symptoms in patients with MD (2 studies) and for reducing anxiety symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder in remission (1 study) and in patients with some anxiety disorders (2 studies). However, several methodological shortcomings including small sample sizes, non-randomized design of some studies and the absence of studies comparing MBCT to control groups designed to distinguish specific from non-specific effects of such practice underscore the necessity for further research.