FOR around 30 per cent of people with depression, traditional therapies and medications don’t bring lasting relief.
Despite completing treatment, many still struggle with persistent low mood, exhaustion and hopelessness – often with no further support available.
This group is part of the mental health system’s “missing middle” – people whose needs are too complex for GP care, but not severe enough for specialist services.
They are often left in limbo, with medication as the only option.
But new research suggests there may be another way forward: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).
A study involving more than 200 patients who had finished NHS Talking Therapies in the UK found that those who undertook an eight-week MBCT program reported greater improvements in their depression than those who received standard care.
Importantly, the benefits lasted and even strengthened over six months.
MBCT combines traditional cognitive therapy, which helps reduce negative thinking, with mindfulness training that encourages staying present, recognising harmful thought spirals, and responding to emotions with awareness and compassion.
Participants learn about tools they can use long after therapy ends.
Crucially, MBCT also reduced the use of health and social care services – a major benefit amid growing pressure on health budgets.
Currently used for relapse prevention, MBCT could fill a significant gap in mental health care, especially for those who don’t respond to initial treatments.
Authors: Thorsten Barnhofer, University of Surrey, Barney Dunn, University of Exeter and Clara Strauss, University of Sussex
Source: Extracts from theconversation.com.au.
