The effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for reducing rumination and improving mindfulness and self-compassion in patients with treatment-resistant depression

Abstract

Introduction: Depression is one of the most important psychiatric disorders, and the rate of recurrence is high. The heavy cost burden of depression is probably due to treatment-resistant depression. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental study conducted with twenty-four patients with treatment-resistant depression. Participants were selected by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two groups, an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received MBCT and antidepressants, while the control group received antidepressants only. The Hamilton and Beck Depression Inventory, Self-Compassion Scale, Thought Rumination Scale, and Mindfulness Scale were administered. The treatment program was conducted in eight sessions; with a follow-up period of one month subsequent to treatment termination. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (analysis of variance for repeated measures and Bonferroni's post-hoc test). Results: The results showed that MBCT significantly reduced depression and ruminative thinking in the experimental group and also improved mediators such as mindfulness and self-compassion. Patients maintained gains over the one month follow-up period (p < 0.01). Conclusion:The present study provides additional evidence for the effectiveness of MBCT for TRD.

Teachers “finding peace in a frantic world”: An experimental study of self-taught and instructor-led mindfulness program formats on acceptability, effectiveness, and mechanisms.

“…MT might facilitate the identification of ruminative patterns, understanding the consequences of these kinds of thoughts and taking constructive steps to reduce mental distress (Smart et al, 2016). Exploratory studies have observed that MT aimed at reducing ruminative thinking in depressive patients also improves mediators such as mindfulness and self-compassion, although more research to establish the specific causal links between these two groups of variables is needed (Foroughi et al, 2020; Frostadottir & Dorjee, 2019). These indirect effects of mindfulness practice have been observed in clinical samples using instructor-led MT, but they have not been studied in secondary teachers using self-taught MT.…”

Mindfulness on Rumination in Patients with Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…The 19 studies [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ] included were all focused on MBIs, and the specific intervention programs were diversified in terms of group intervention. Females made up more than 50% of all the studies.…”

“…Three studies reported on placebo control, including relaxation [ 31 ], pill placebo [ 34 ], and psychology education [ 37 ]. Eleven studies used blank controls (BCs), including waiting lists [ 30 , 33 , 36 , 40 , 47 , 48 ] and treat-as-usual methods [ 32 , 38 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Five articles reported follow-up data with a follow-up period of 1–6 months.…”

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve immediate stimulation treatment for treatment-resistant depression: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

“…Abnormalities in these regions have also been extensively reported in previous studies, and the present study has accumulated more evidence for the relevant results ( 47 – 49 ). Previous studies have posited that rumination may play a pivotal role in the psychopathology of TRD ( 50 , 51 ), Default mode network (DMN), such as the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus. Frontoparietal control network (FPCN) regions, including the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and superior marginal gyrus (SMG) ( 52 ).…”