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Depression is not only the most common mental illness, it’s also one of the most tenacious. Up to 80 percent of people who experience a major depressive episode may relapse. Drugs may lose their effectiveness over time, if they work at all.
But a growing body of research is pointing to an intervention that appears to help prevent relapse by altering thought patterns without side effects: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or MBCT.
A new study on the approach to be published in a forthcoming issue of The Lancet found that MBCT helped prevent depression recurrence as effectively as maintenance antidepressant medication did. The study also found that MBCT had a larger effect on people with histories of more severe childhood abuse, which has been associated with a greater risk of relapse, than on participants overall. An “Evidence Map of Mindfulness” prepared for the Department of Veterans Affairs on all types of mindfulness interventions found the most consistent effect on depression versus other health conditions.
The simplest definition of mindfulness is paying attention to one’s experience in the present moment. It involves observing thoughts and emotions from moment to moment without judging or becoming caught up in them. During a practice session, when the mind wanders, the meditator ideally takes note of where it goes, and calmly returns to the moment at hand, perhaps focusing on breath, bodily sensations or a simple yoga move.
Excerpt from:
Mindfulness Treats Depression