TITLE:
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Primary Care Patients’ Experiences of Outcomes in Everyday Life and Relapse Prevention
AUTHORS:
Josefine L. Lilja, Malin Broberg, Torsten Norlander, Anders G. Broberg
KEYWORDS:
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Primary Care, Qualitative Thematic Analysis, Relapse Prevention
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.6 No.4,
March
26,
2015
ABSTRACT: The concept of mindfulness has attracted a growing
body of research within behavioural medicine over the last decade.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been developed to prevent
relapse among people who suffer recurrent depression. Studies show impressive
results, with a decrease in the risk of relapse of up to 50%. However, primary
care patients’ own experiences and MBCT’s effectiveness as a relapse program
and aid to their ability to deal with everyday life remain relatively
unexplored. The aim of the study, therefore, was to examine how primary care
patients with recurrent depression perceive the usefulness of MBCT in
preventing relapse. Nineteen patients who had participated in a MBCT program
for recurrent depression within a primary care setting were interviewed 12
months after treatment. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to
identify, analyse, and report patterns in the interviews. Analysis suggests two
overarching themes, “Strategies for
remission” and “Personal development”.
This study brings new information about what participants in MBCT classes
describe as the most useful interventions for relapse prevention. The formal
and informal meditation exercises focused on the body and the breath were
described as the most important strategies for remission and the mindfulness
practice gave the participants an enhanced self-knowledge that helped them to
better deal with everyday stress and interpersonal functioning. The findings
also indicate that traditional cognitive behavioural interventions, such as
behaviour activation and establishing a maintenance plan, might not be as
essential to relapse prevention as formerly thought.