Credit: Original article published here.
The novel therapy intervention known as practitioner-supported mindfulness-based cognitive therapy self-help (MBCT-SH) is better for treating mild to moderate depression than the standard practitioner-supported cognitive behavioral therapy self-help (CBT-SH), according to a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Depression impacts almost 11% of people worldwide. It very often recurs, and comes with deleterious personal and economic consequences. Despite the effects of depression, treatment disparities exist whereby many people suffering with the disease fail to procure evidence-based treatments, making it mission-critical to develop effective, and scalable interventions.
The Current Mode of Treating Depression
Currently, CBT-SH is the recommended mode of treatment for people with mild to moderate depression. This intervention, according to the researchers, “explores and evaluates the interrelationships between thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and behaviors in the maintenance of depression, along with the historical antecedents of unhelpful thinking patterns.” While specialist CBT is regarded as effective, the self-help practice is less accepted, and comes with a high dropout rate. Ergo, alternatives to CBT-SH to treat depression are necessary.
MBCT, which is an in-person group program which “involves deliberately bringing nonjudgmental awareness to present-moment experiences (eg, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, behavioral urges),” can be honed through mindfulness practice, and when supported by practitioners, may serve as a viable solution for widening access to depression care. To evaluate its clinical utility versus standard of care, the investigators conducted an assessor- and participant-blinded superiority clinical trial of 410 participants (62% women, median age, 32) with mild to moderate depression who were randomized 1:1 to receive practitioner supported MBCT-SH (n = 204) or practitioner-supported CBT-SH (n = 206). The key outcome of interest was defined as Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score at 16 weeks postrandomization. Data analysis took place from January to October 2021.
Novel Therapy is “Clinically Superior”
According to the findings, at 16 weeks postrandomization, practitioner-supported MBCT-SH (mean [SD] PHQ-9 score, 7.2 [4.8]) resulted in notably greater reductions in depression symptom severity versus practitioner-supported CBT-SH (mean [SD] PHQ-9 score, 8.6 [5.5]). Importantly, the findings showed that the probability of MBCT-SH being cost-effective compared with CBT-SH exceeded 95%.
In conclusion, the researchers said that “[this study] found that a novel intervention, practitioner-supported MBCT-SH, was clinically superior in targeting depressive symptom severity at postintervention and cost-effective compared with the criterion standard of practitioner-supported CBT-SH for adults experiencing mild to moderate depression.” They added that if findings are translated into routine practice, “this would see many more people recovering from depression while costing health services less money.”
