Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depressed individuals improves suppression of irrelevant mental-sets
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
2017/04//
Pages:
277 - 282
Sources ID:
60186
Collection:
Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Depression
Visibility:
Public (group default)
Abstract:
(Show)
An impaired ability to suppress currently irrelevant mental-sets is a key cognitive deficit in depression. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was specifically designed to help depressed individuals avoid getting caught in such irrelevant mental-sets. In the current study, a group assigned to MBCT plus treatment-as-usual (n = 22) exhibited significantly lower depression scores and greater improvements in irrelevant mental-set suppression compared to a wait-list plus treatment-as-usual (n = 18) group. Improvements in mental-set-suppression were associated with improvements in depression scores. Results provide the first evidence that MBCT can improve suppression of irrelevant mental-sets and that such improvements are associated with depressive alleviation.