Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) reduces the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal cognitions in patients with a history of suicidal depression.

Abstract

Objective: In patients with a history of suicidal depression, recurrence of depressive symptoms can easily reactivate suicidal thinking. In this study, we investigated whether training in mindfulness, which is aimed at helping patients “decenter” from negative thinking, could help weaken the link between depressive symptoms and suicidal cognitions. Method: Analyses were based on data from a recent randomized controlled trial, in which previously suicidal patients were allocated to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), an active control treatment, cognitive psychoeducation (CPE), which did not include any meditation practice, or treatment as usual (TAU). After the end of the treatment phase, we compared the associations between depressive symptoms, as assessed through self-reports on the Beck Depression Inventory–II (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996), and suicidal thinking, as assessed through the Suicidal Cognitions Scale (Rudd et al., 2001). Results: In patients with minimal to moderate symptoms at the time of assessment, comparisons of the correlations between depressive symptoms and suicidal cognitions showed significant differences between the groups. Although suicidal cognitions were significantly related to levels of symptoms in the 2 control groups, there was no such relation in the MBCT group. Conclusion: The findings suggest that, in patients with a history of suicidal depression, training in mindfulness can help to weaken the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal thinking, and thus reduce an important vulnerability for relapse to suicidal depression.

Affect lability predicts occurrence of suicidal ideation in bipolar patients: a two‐year prospective study

“…This contributes to decrease experiential avoidance from unpleasant psychological events (as they are simply considered as harmless attentional objects), contributing to decrease suicidal thoughts and acts . Interestingly, it has been shown that training in mindfulness weakens the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in depressed patients , through decrease in cognitive reactivity and ruminations . Besides, trait mindfulness has been negatively correlated to lability of negative affects, independently of depression and mediated by lower maladaptive coping.…”

A Brief Mindfulness Intervention Attenuates Desire to Escape Following Experimental Induction of the Interpersonal Adversity Implicated in Suicide Risk

“…One intervention that holds promise here is mindfulness training. Mindfulness, the process of attending to current experience with awareness and acceptance, has been associated with reduced risk of suicidality in several cross-sectional studies (Anastasiades, Kapoor, Wootten, & Lamis, 2016;Chesin & Jeglic, 2016;Lamis & Dvorak, 2013) and is a key feature of clinical treatments shown to reduce risk for suicidality (e.g., Barnhofer et al, 2015;Linehan et al, 2006). Mindfulness may protect against suicidality by enhancing acceptance of negative thoughts and emotions and facilitating re-engagement with goal-directed activities even in the face of adversity (Garland, Farb, Goldin, & Fredrickson, 2015;Kabat-Zinn, 1992;Williams & Swales, 2004).…”

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Management of Suicidal Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…However, a person can experience that emotions can be accepted rather than eliminated through mindfulness and acceptance skills. These may weaken the association between unpleasant emotions and suicidal thinking in vulnerable patients [12]. The present study evidences a reduction in cognitive fusion, as measured by the CFQ.…”

“…Experiential acceptance and suicidal ideation were negatively correlated in veterans having received ACT [11]. Training in mindfulness was found to weaken the association between depressive symptomatology and suicidal thinking in patients with a history of suicidal depression [12]. Finally, in an open pilot study, our group has recently reported the feasibility of a 7-sessions weekly ACT program for patients suffering from current suicidal behavior disorder, as per DSM-5 criteria.…”