An ongoing randomized-controlled trial and qualitative study examine the efficacy and benefits of utilizing a mindfulness-based intervention in the treatment of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
The authors of the study note that a shift in the understanding and conceptualization of recovery in persons diagnosed with mental health issues from a medicalized symptom reduction/functional improvement model to a more humanistic frame. New interventions are focused on personal recovery that includes connectedness, hope, optimism, identity, meaning in life, and empowerment.
“The mismatch between the existing available treatments and the desires for personal recovery from individuals living with [Bipolar Disorder] lead to a significant intervention gap.”
This new direction translates to a shift in treatment methods and goals, away from psychoeducation, skill-building, and medication adherence towards recovery-oriented interventions. The authors suggest that a mindfulness-based intervention could better address personal recovery in persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder. With a shifting focus from symptom reduction to hope building, the existence of symptoms that persist throughout treatment is no longer at odds with the concept of recovery.
Mindfulness-based interventions are theorized to “rescue excessive emotional reactivity” as individuals learn to observe experiences non-judgmentally. These interventions aim to “produce cognitive changes,” so participants learn that thoughts are not facts, “improved self-management,” that promotes skills for maladaptive cognitions and emotional responses, and the ability of non-judgmental noting of arousal, muscle tension/other reactions in the body. Mindfulness is thought to result in a fundamental shift that facilitates acceptance of experiences.
Existing research on the efficacy of mindfulness for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder have primarily focused on clinical/functional recovery and have not examined the effects through a personal recovery-oriented lens.
In addition to the recovery-oriented approach, the authors aim to incorporate the staging model of Bipolar Disorder. The staging model suggests that treatment should be informed by the “stage of illness” (e.g., psychoeducation at the beginning stage vs. acceptance-based interventions in later stages).
The researchers propose to assess the efficacy of a brief mindfulness-based intervention, comparing mindfulness to a waitlist, exploring the mediating roles of emotion awareness, emotion regulation, and illness acceptance, and investigating the role of staging theory in providing the treatment. To understand the lived experience of mindfulness as related to personal recovery, the researchers also plan to conduct qualitative research.
The authors plan to recruit adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder from hospitals and community settings. They will compare four sessions of a mindfulness group with wait-list controls — timepoints of the evaluation space baseline, post-intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. In addition to the RCT to assess the efficacy of brief MBI, the researchers suggest conducting a Photovoice, participatory research project to explore the experience of the participants.
A pilot project conducted in 2018 with 20 participants randomly assigned half of the participants to a mindfulness group and the other half to a waitlist condition. The pilot data showed that those in the mindfulness group significantly improved in the outcomes of personal recovery. But the group had almost no effect on the secondary outcome of functional recovery.
A qualitative study asked individuals with Bipolar Disorder who had been in remission for at least two months their opinion on staying well during their recovery process. Self-awareness of their own experiences with their symptoms supported their mood management and recovery, and they felt they were more able to regulate emotions and counter stigma.
According to the researchers, “participants expressed a strong need for psychological intervention that would help them effectively manage their fluctuating moods and to find ways to live with the distress and difficulties of the disorder.”
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Chan, S.H., Tse, S., Chung, K.F., Yu, C.H., Chung, R.C.K., & Lo, H.H.M. (2019)The effect of a brief mindfulness-based intervention on personal recovery in people with bipolar disorder: a randomized controlled trial (study protocol). BMC Psychiatry, 19(255) (Link)
Are these “bipolar” stigmatized people on drugs, or not on drugs? Why no mention about the drugs, when that’s been the only treatment for the theorized “lifelong incurable genetic,” all BS “bipolar disorder” for decades?
And since the “bipolar” drugs are neurotoxic, whether or not the person is on the neurotoxic “bipolar” drugs, is quite relevant to whether they’ll ever be able to recover or not.
By the way, all the DSM disorders, including “bipolar,” were confessed to be “invalid” years ago, so maybe you “mental health” workers should stop stigmatizing/defaming people with that make believe disease?
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My cocktail was causing my mood swings till my body wore down after more than 20 years on the stuff.
I have had some troubling experiences with being forced into mindlessness meditation. For two hour sessions every week. Almost drove me nuts. Everyone else fell asleep or didn’t care.
If you like and benefit from voluntary mindfulness meditation that’s fine. I was forced to do it and hated it.
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Forced mindfulness is an oxymoron. By definition, mindfulness has to be voluntary – it is a choice that one makes to be aware of one’s presence and relationship to the world. Anyone who tries to force it without full agreement is being abusive.
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Mindfulness meditation is good.
But we don’t want to talk about any non-existent ~disorders~ or any ~treatments~
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Mindfulness is the new synonym for the ever-popular psych hammer ‘insight’.
“You have good insight” is the doggy treat they toss when you agree/comply with them….about yourself.
I think we all know this; no need for a ‘study’.
Once again, the behavioral ‘experts’ miss the paradoxical point; it is THEY who lack insight and ‘mindfulness’…as service providers to clients…NOT sales reps and disciples of Pharma, proselytizing and recruiting innocents into the cult….enforcing allegiance with fear of catastrophe If you disobey. Dogs and psych clients know this well.
“Mindfulness-based interventions are theorized to “rescue excessive emotional reactivity” as individuals learn to observe experiences non-judgmentally. These interventions aim to “produce cognitive changes,” so participants learn that thoughts are not facts, “improved self-management,” that promotes skills for maladaptive cognitions and emotional responses, and the ability of non-judgmental noting of arousal, muscle tension/other reactions in the body. Mindfulness is thought to result in a fundamental shift that facilitates acceptance of experiences.”
Exactly the goals that psychiatric workers should strive for when dealing with a human being seated in front of them.
Don’t get it twisted.
It’s THEY who (desperately) need “intervention” and “mindfulness” in the moment.
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Of course the idea that mindlessness meditation–as Julie used to call it–or counseling can benefit purely neurological disorders flies in the face of the bio-bio-bio model narrative psychiatrists have written.
They struggle with the narrative when they wax eloquent upon how the internet spreads agosognosia. Yet claim this lack of “insight” is completely genetic in origin.
Respected psychiatrists seem to be arguing that genes can be altered through reading internet articles they disagree with. Lol
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That was my thought, too! If meditation can change attitudes toward distress, doesn’t that toss the “genetic brain disease model” in the garbage bin? But expecting consistency from the psychiatric “thought leaders” is a sure way to get a headache!
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So it’s contagious too! Any bets on how much longer before anti-psychiatry info is banned by Twitter, Facebook & the like (as they recently started doing with anti-vaccine and natural healing sites)?
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Think they will allow it oldhead, they use these sites to target people for sectioning.
I’m recently impressed by a number of important posts on here that others can reference/link on the likes of facebook and twitter. It is compelling evidence of the fraud from the very top. Fraud which has destroyed so many lives.
Feel it is also important that we focus on their new endeavours of evolutionary psychiatry and link it with their mass murderous past.
RIP Bonnie Burstow a very important anitpsych fighter, she lives on in her important antipsychiatry scholarship.
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“Researchers Propose Mindfulness for Treatment of Bipolar Disorder”
What complete and utter nonsense.
While researchers propose mindfulness for treatment of a fictitious disease, I would propose that researchers start using their minds before they publish any of their research.
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