Depression one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Individuals suffering from depression typically exhibit impairments in various mental abilities, such as the ability to effectively direct and control attention and the ability to switch between thinking about different things and concepts (commonly referred to as "cognitive flexibility"). Mindfulness meditation training is a technique which involves focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. It has been well documented to improve depressive symptoms and prevent recurrence of depressive episodes, yet little is known about how mindfulness does so and what are the underlying mental mechanisms involved. Here the investigators propose to examine the efficacy of an 8-week mindfulness training program in improving the ability to direct and control attention, as well as in cognitive flexibility. Individuals diagnosed with recurrent depression will undergo an 8-week mindfulness training program. Participants' depressive symptoms as well as their performance on measures of attention and cognitive flexibility will be examined. Participants will be assigned to mindfulness training or a wait-list control group. Half of the participants will be examined before and after the mindfulness training program and the other half will be tested 8-weeks apart and then begin their training.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
52
8 weekly meetings in which basic mindfulness and meditation skills are taught, such as breathing meditation, body scan meditation, open awareness meditation, movement meditation, and targeting depression related cognitions and emotions in a mindful manner, as well as awareness exercises, group discussions, and daily home meditation practice routines
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Change from baseline in depressive symptoms as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale
Time frame: Once upon recruitment (baseline), and a second time at 8-10 weeks following the MBCT program
Change from baseline in cognitive flexibility, as measured by a computer task involving task-switching and by the Torrance Test for Creative Thinking
Time frame: Once upon recruitment (baseline), and a second time at 8-10 weeks following the MBCT program
Change from baseline in attention regulation, as measured by the Attention Network Test
Time frame: Once upon recruitment (baseline), and a second time at 8-10 weeks following the MBCT program
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