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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.

Major depressive disorder is a prevalent psychiatric condition that affects cognitive functioning. Cognitive impairments associated with depression impact the treatment course and effectiveness, creating a need to target this aspect of depression directly. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been shown to be effective at preventing depressive relapse and reducing depressive symptoms, yet very little is known about its effects on cognitive impairments associated with depression. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the effectiveness of MBCT on cognitive impairment in individuals with elevated symptoms of depression. Participants were assigned to an MBCT program (N = 22) or waitlist (N = 18). Participants completed diagnostic interviewing and self-report measures of depressive symptoms, overall cognitive functioning, and cognitive flexibility before and after the program. Participants who received MBCT had significantly improved cognitive flexibility and reduced cognitive deficits compared to those on the waitlist. In addition, improvement in cognitive deficits was significantly associated with depressive symptom improvement. These findings provide preliminary evidence that MBCT may be effective at improving cognitive impairment associated with elevated depressive symptoms.

Major depressive disorder is a prevalent psychiatric condition that affects cognitive functioning. Cognitive impairments associated with depression impact the treatment course and effectiveness, creating a need to target this aspect of depression directly. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been shown to be effective at preventing depressive relapse and reducing depressive symptoms, yet very little is known about its effects on cognitive impairments associated with depression. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the effectiveness of MBCT on cognitive impairment in individuals with elevated symptoms of depression. Participants were assigned to an MBCT program (N = 22) or waitlist (N = 18). Participants completed diagnostic interviewing and self-report measures of depressive symptoms, overall cognitive functioning, and cognitive flexibility before and after the program. Participants who received MBCT had significantly improved cognitive flexibility and reduced cognitive deficits compared to those on the waitlist. In addition, improvement in cognitive deficits was significantly associated with depressive symptom improvement. These findings provide preliminary evidence that MBCT may be effective at improving cognitive impairment associated with elevated depressive symptoms.

Major depressive disorder is a prevalent psychiatric condition that affects cognitive functioning. Cognitive impairments associated with depression impact the treatment course and effectiveness, creating a need to target this aspect of depression directly. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been shown to be effective at preventing depressive relapse and reducing depressive symptoms, yet very little is known about its effects on cognitive impairments associated with depression. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the effectiveness of MBCT on cognitive impairment in individuals with elevated symptoms of depression. Participants were assigned to an MBCT program (N = 22) or waitlist (N = 18). Participants completed diagnostic interviewing and self-report measures of depressive symptoms, overall cognitive functioning, and cognitive flexibility before and after the program. Participants who received MBCT had significantly improved cognitive flexibility and reduced cognitive deficits compared to those on the waitlist. In addition, improvement in cognitive deficits was significantly associated with depressive symptom improvement. These findings provide preliminary evidence that MBCT may be effective at improving cognitive impairment associated with elevated depressive symptoms.

Mindfulness meditation has a longstanding history in eastern practices that has received considerable public interest in recent decades. Indeed, the science, practice, and implementation of Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBIs) have dramatically increased in recent years. At its base, mindfulness is a natural human state in which an individual experiences and attends to the present moment. Interventions have been developed to train individuals how to incorporate this practice into daily life. The current article will discuss the concept of mindfulness and describe its implementation in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. We further identify for whom MBIs have been shown to be efficacious and provide an up-to-date summary of how these interventions work. This includes research support for the cognitive, psychological, and neural mechanisms that lead to psychiatric improvements. This review provides a basis for incorporating these interventions into treatment.

The authors discuss mindfulness and describe its implementation in treating psychiatric disorders. They further identify for whom mindfulness-based interventions have been efficacious, and they provide a summary of how these interventions work, including research support for the cognitive, psychological, and neural mechanisms that lead to psychiatric improvements., Mindfulness meditation has a long-standing history in Eastern practices that has received considerable public interest in recent decades. Indeed, the science, practice, and implementation of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have dramatically increased in recent years. At its base, mindfulness is a natural human state in which an individual experiences and attends to the present moment. Interventions have been developed to train individuals how to incorporate this practice into daily life. In this article, the authors discuss the concept of mindfulness and describe its implementation in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. They further identify for whom MBIs have been shown to be efficacious and provide an up-to-date summary of how these interventions work, including research support for the cognitive, psychological, and neural mechanisms that lead to psychiatric improvements. This review provides a basis for incorporating these interventions into treatment.