Effects of mindfulness on meta-awareness and specificity of describing prodromal symptoms in suicidal depression.
The authors examined the effects of mindfulness training on 2 aspects of mode of processing in depressed participants: degree of meta-awareness and specificity of memory. Each of these has been suggested as a maladaptive aspect of a mode of processing linked to persistence and recurrence of symptoms. Twenty-seven depressed participants, all of whom had experienced suicidal crises, described warning signs for their last crisis. These descriptions were blind-rated independently for meta-awareness and specificity. Participants were then randomly allocated to receive mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone, and retested after 3 months. Results showed that, although comparable at baseline, patients randomized to MBCT displayed significant posttreatment differences in meta-awareness and specificity compared with TAU patients. These results suggest that mindfulness training may enable patients to reflect on memories of previous crises in a detailed and decentered way, allowing them to relate to such experiences in a way that is likely to be helpful in preventing future relapses.
University of Oxford.
Emily
E
Hargus
University of Oxford.
Catherine
C
Crane
University of Oxford.
Thorsten
T
Barnhofer
University of Oxford.
J Mark G
JMG
Williams
D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012008:Recurrence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention