Mindfulness Therapy Reduces Depressive Symptoms in TBI

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) reduces symptoms of depression in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), new research suggests. A randomized controlled trial conducted by investigators at Lakehead University and St. Joseph’s Care Group in Thunder Bay, Canada, showed that compared with a wait-list control group, the MBCT group experienced a significantly greater reduction in total and somatic depressive symptoms. The findings were presented at EPA 2013: 21st European Congress of Psychiatry. According to study investigator Michel Bédard, PhD, TBI can be a life-changing event: Depression is common, and pharmacologic and other interventions may not relieve depressive symptoms. Previous research conducted by the team “strongly suggested” that mindfulness-based interventions for depression in TBI all showed strong effect sizes, so the “logical next step was to conduct a randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of MCBT in this patient population.”