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Cited by 396Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychotherapy Techniques and Applications

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as a treatment for chronic depression: A preliminary study

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Barnhofer, Thorsten, Crane, Catherine, Hargus, Emily, Amarasinghe, Myanthi, Winder, Rosie, Williams, J. Mark G.·2009·Behaviour Research and Therapy
DOI 10.1016/j.brat.2009.01.019PMC PMC2866254
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Abstract

This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a treatment combining mindfulness meditation and interventions taken from cognitive therapy, in patients suffering from chronic-recurrent depression. Currently symptomatic patients with at least three previous episodes of depression and a history of suicidal ideation were randomly allocated to receive either MBCT delivered in addition to treatment-as-usual (TAU; N=14 completers) or TAU alone (N=14 completers). Depressive symptoms and diagnostic status were assessed before and after treatment phase. Self-reported symptoms of depression decreased from severe to mild levels in the MBCT group while there was no significant change in the TAU group. Similarly, numbers of patients meeting full criteria for depression decreased significantly more in the MBCT group than in the TAU group. Results are consistent with previous uncontrolled studies. Although based on a small sample and, therefore, limited in their generalizability, they provide further preliminary evidence that MBCT can be used to successfully reduce current symptoms in patients suffering from a protracted course of the disorder.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.brat.2009.01.019

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  • Dispositional mindfulness is inversely related to depressive symptoms in intervention studies.

    “Mindfulness has been shown to be inversely related to depressive symptoms in both cross‐sectional (Gilbert & Christopher, 2010; Gilbert & Gruber, 2014) and intervention (Barnhofer et al., 2009) studies.”

    From A mindful yoga intervention for young women with major depressive disorder: Design and baseline sample characteristics of a randomized controlled trial (2020) · cites this paper as Barnhofer et al., 2009

    The Results (Changes in severity of depressive symptoms; page unavailable) show that depressive symptoms fell more in the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy group than in the treatment-as-usual group. The Method (Outcome measures; page unavailable) describes measures of depression and diagnostic status, but the paper does not report a measure of dispositional mindfulness or test its relationship with depressive symptoms. It supports the intervention finding, not the claimed inverse relationship with dispositional mindfulness. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Self-reported symptoms of depression were significantly reduced after receiving MBCT, whereas a similar reduction was not identified in patients who only received their usual pharmacological treatment.

    “Self-reported symptoms of depression were also found to be significantly reduced after receiving MBCT, whereas a similar reduction was not identified in patients who only received their usual pharmacological treatment [51].”

    From Potential therapeutic effects of meditation for treating affective dysregulation (2014) · cites this paper as [51]

    The Results (Changes in severity of depressive symptoms) report a significant reduction in self-reported depression symptoms with MBCT and no significant change with treatment as usual (TAU). But the Method (Treatment; Participants) shows that TAU was not solely pharmacological: only about 60% of participants were taking antidepressants at the start, and some TAU participants received counseling or other psychological support. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Preliminary evidence indicates that MBCT is more effective than TAU in reducing depressive symptoms among currently depressed patients.

    “There is also preliminary evidence that MBCT is more effective than treatment as usual (TAU) in reducing depressive symptoms among currently depressed patients (Barnhofer et al., 2009; Hepburn et al., 2009)”

    From Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies (2011) · cites this paper as Barnhofer et al., 2009

  • Mindfulness training produces a decoupling of the medial prefrontal cortex from the insula, and an increased connection between the insula and the lateral prefrontal cortex.

    “Training produces a decoupling of the medial prefrontal cortex (associated with narrative focus) from the insula (viscero-somatic signals), and an increased connection between the insula and the lateral prefrontal cortex (associated with experiential focus).”

    From Mindfulness in psychiatry - Where are we now? (2016) · cites this paper as [10]

    The Method > Procedure passage says EEG measurements were taken but their results are not reported in this paper. The Introduction and Discussion discuss mindfulness training and depression, but the passages found for medial prefrontal cortex, insula, and brain connectivity do not report either claimed change in connectivity. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Where substantially larger effects have been observed, these have been based on small samples.

    “Where substantially larger effects have been observed, these have been based on small samples (Barnhofer et al. 2009; Chiesa et al. 2015; Eisendrath et al. 2015; Kingston et al. 2007).”

    From The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in Real-World Healthcare Services (2020) · cites this paper as Barnhofer et al. 2009

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Authors
Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., Hargus, E., Amarasinghe, M., Winder, R., & Williams, J. M. G.
Affiliations
Warneford Hospital (GB)
Corresponding author
Barnhofer, Thorsten
ORCID
Venue
Behaviour Research and Therapy
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-05
Volume
47
Issue
5
Pages
366-373
ISSN
0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.brat.2009.01.019
PMC
PMC2866254
OpenAlex
W2027963802
Cited by
396
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 39
FWCI
36.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust
  • Mind and Life Institute
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
Keywords
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, chronic depression, recurrent depression, mindfulness meditation, cognitive therapy, suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, treatment efficacy
MeSH terms
Adult, Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Patient Compliance, Pilot Projects, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Recurrence, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Treatment Outcome, Meditation, Suicidal Ideation

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