April 21, 2015

expert reaction to mindfulness-based therapy to treat depression

Publishing in The Lancet journal, researchers have described their work to investigate the use of mindfulness-based therapies in the treatment of depression, reporting that they improved negative symptoms but were not more effective than antidepressants.

Prof. Eduard Vieta, Treasurer and Chair of Communications Committee,  European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and Professor of Psychiatry, University of Barcelona, Spain, said:

“We should be careful in reading too much into the study. Relapse rates seem to be at the same level as those in placebo arms of controlled antidepressant trials.

“The trial lacks assay sensitivity, meaning that we don’t know if both treatments are equally good or equally bad.

“If there had been a placebo control arm to the study – either placebo drug or placebo mindfulness- it would have helped.”

‘Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared with maintenance antidepressant treatment in the prevention of depressive relapse or recurrence (PREVENT): a randomised controlled trial’ by name of Kuyken et al. published in The Lancet on Tuesday 21^st April. 

Declared interests

Prof. Eduard Vieta: “Although I have received grants and honoraria in the past, I do not have any present conflict of interest involving any of the currently marketed antidepressants. I work in a public hospital and teach at the (public) University of Barcelona.”