Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Prevention of Depression Relapse- A Useful Approach for Depressed Patients with Cardiovascular Disease?

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has a high prevalence rate, particularly in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Furthermore, depression has been associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality in this population. Regardless of medical status, patients who have had MDD manifest high relapse and recurrence rates, with as much as an 80% likelihood of experiencing another major depressive episode. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), an approach combining techniques and principals of both cognitive behavioral therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, has been efficacious in reducing depressive relapse and recurrence in preliminary trials. Though MBCT’s utility in reducing depression relapse or recurrence in patients with CVD has yet to be examined, the promising findings with other populations, as well as the severity of health consequences for depressed patients who have CVD, suggest this may also be a worthwhile therapeutic approach for those with heart disease.