Mindfulness Effective for Depression In Community Mental Health Settings

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Mindfulness meditation was an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression outside hospitals in a community public mental health setting, according to research in PLOS One, which Dutch researchers described as the first of its kind.

“Although there has been growing evidence for the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for different clinical populations, its effectiveness as a public mental health intervention has not been studied,” wrote the researchers.

One hundred and fifty one participants with mild to moderate depressive symptoms were recruited from the general population and randomized to an intervention or control group. Among the group that learned and practiced mindfulness, the researchers found “significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and experiential avoidance, and improvements in mindfulness and emotional- and psychological mental health.”

(Full text) The Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy as a Public Mental Health Intervention for Adults with Mild to Moderate Depressive Symptomatology: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Pots, Wendy T. M. et al. PLOS One. October 15, 2014. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109789)

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