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Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as effective as antidepressants: Study

(Photo via Business Insider)
(Photo via Business Insider)

For Canadians suffering from long-term depression, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) could be an effective alternative to taking antidepressants.

MBCT is a group-based approach that combines mindful meditation practice with cognitive therapy. A new study in The Lancet medical journal in the U.K. found that for people with a history of recurrent depression, MCBT was just as effective as taking maintenance antidepressants. And a 2010 study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health here in Canada also found meditation “provides equivalent protection against depressive relapse as traditional antidepressant medication.”

“Depression is a recurrent disorder. Without ongoing treatment, as many as four out of five people with depression relapse at some point,” Willem Kuyken, lead author of the U.K. study and professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oxford , said in a press release.

MBCT was developed to help people who have experienced repeated bouts of depression by teaching them the skills to recognise and to respond constructively to the thoughts and feelings associated with relapse, thereby preventing a downward spiral into depression, says the release.

MBCT is available across Canada, though there are long waiting lists at many hospitals, said Dr. Patricia Rockman in a phone interview with Yahoo Canada News.

Rockman is the director of education and clinical services at The Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto. The centre offers mindfulness-based therapies for anxiety, depression, depressive relapse prevention, healthy eating, ADHD, diabetes and stress reduction. While it will cost about $450 for an eight-week program, many private insurance plans will cover some or all of the costs, and the centre offers a bursary program for those who can’t afford to pay, notes Rockman.

“It’s attractive to those who don’t want to be on medication,” said Rockman, who leads MBCT groups and is an associate professor with the University of Toronto.

For those people who are already on medication for depression it’s not recommended to stop taking their meds cold turkey, she adds. In those cases participating in a MBCT group, would usually be another tool in their toolbelt in their fight against depression.

Speak with your family doctor to discuss the options that are best for you, based on your medical history, insurance plan and what resources are available in your local area.

The study in The Lancet followed 424 patients for 24 months and found the depression relapse rates were about the same, whether on medication or in the MBCT group. While researchers did not find MBCT was more effective than taking meds the study shows mindfulness group therapy can be a viable alternative.

“Currently, maintenance antidepressant medication is the key treatment for preventing relapse, reducing the likelihood of relapse or recurrence by up to two-thirds when taken correctly,” study co-author professor Richard Byng, from the Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry in the U.K., said in the release. “However, there are many people who, for a number of different reasons, are unable to keep on a course of medication for depression. Moreover, many people do not wish to remain on medication for indefinite periods, or cannot tolerate its side effects.”

This new study, and other recent research, gives those looking for an alternative way to treat their long-term depression some hope.

Follow Melissa on Twitter: @Melissa_Dunne33