The lancet. Psychiatry
June 1, 2025
Thorsten Barnhofer, Barnaby D Dunn, Clara Strauss et al.
9 citations
About half of patients with depression who complete the UK National Health Service Talking Therapies stepped care pathway still have symptoms. A randomized trial tested whether adding mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) via videoconference to treatment as usual improves outcomes for these patients. At 34 weeks, the MBCT group had significantly lower depression scores than the treatment-as-usual group (adjusted difference -2.49 points on the PHQ-9). The MBCT group also had slightly lower healthcare costs and higher quality-of-life scores, with a 99% chance of being cost-effective at the £20,000 per QALY threshold. No serious adverse events occurred. MBCT is an effective and scalable further-line treatment for depression that does not remit after psychological therapy.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
June 12, 2026
Thorsten Barnhofer, Maria Niemi, Johannes Michalak et al.
1 citation
For adults with difficult-to-treat depression—those who have not responded to prior treatments, have treatment-resistant depression, or have a chronic course—mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is likely superior to usual care, reducing depressive symptoms by a standardized mean difference of -0.40 at post-treatment and -0.41 at medium-term follow-up. There was a 92% and 85% probability, respectively, that these benefits exceeded a minimal important difference. However, MBCT did not show clear superiority over other active psychosocial interventions, and no robust moderators of outcome were identified across baseline severity, chronicity, or comorbidity.
JMIR research protocols
May 26, 2025
Elena Nixon, Shireen Patel, Priya Patel et al.
A randomized controlled trial will compare Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Life (MBCT-L) with a routinely offered Stress Reduction Psychoeducation (SRP) program for healthcare and other public sector staff in the United Kingdom. The trial aims to determine whether MBCT-L is more effective than SRP in reducing perceived stress and improving mental health and work-related outcomes. A total of 260 participants were recruited into 26 groups across NHS trusts, with outcomes measured at 6, 12, and 20 weeks. The primary outcome is change in perceived stress from baseline to 20 weeks. A qualitative substudy with 30 participants will explore perceived well-being changes and barriers to uptake. Data analysis is underway.