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January 4, 2011 – Cognitive therapy based on mindfulness meditation is said to be as effective as an antidepressant in preventing recurrence in people being treated for depression.
Researchers1 from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CTSM) in Toronto came to this conclusion by comparing the effectiveness of drug therapy to that of cognitive therapy in 84 patients in remission from depression.
The participants, aged 18 to 65, must have experienced at least 2 depressions in the past few years. They were all on medication and had not shown symptoms of depression for at least 7 months.
In the first group, antidepressants were replaced by cognitive therapy based on mindfulness meditation, a practice that promotes recognition of one’s emotions (sadness, rumination, avoidance) and triggers that can lead to a relapse. This recognition allows you to have more control over your thoughts, in an attitude of acceptance and without judgment, which would help prevent a recurrence of depression.
A second group of participants had to continue taking their antidepressant (Remeron, Zoloft, Effexor or Celexa). In the last group, the medication was replaced by a placebo.
According to the results, the rate of recurrence of depression over an 18-month period was 27% in the antidepressant group and 28% in those receiving mindfulness meditation therapy. In the placebo group, it was 71%.
“Taking cognitive therapy based on mindfulness meditation has the same level of protection as taking medication. This is not a treatment for depression, but an interesting alternative to prevent a relapse and get back to a normal life, ”says Zindel Segal, lead author of the study and head of the Research Department. clinic at the CTSM.
Long-term treatment
Another interesting result, the researchers isolated the participants who presented a so-called “unstable” remission, that is to say those who were most at risk of showing symptoms of depression. Whether on medication or in therapy, they were 73% less likely to relapse than those in the placebo group.
According to Zindel Segal, up to 40% of patients treated for major depression stop their medication because of unwanted side effects, because they cannot conceive to do so for years or simply because they think they are cured. .
“Our research underscores the importance of continuing at least one treatment over a long period of time in patients who have had recurrent depression; and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy may be one of them, ”he says.
Louis M. Gagné – PasseportSanté.net
1. Segal ZV, Bieling P et al. Antidepressant monotherapy vs sequential pharmacotherapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or placebo, for relapse prophylaxis in recurrent depression, Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010 Dec; 67 (12): 1256-64.