Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on a Behavioural Measure of Rumination in Patients with Chronic, Treatment-Resistant Depression

It has been found that Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) reduces rumination in remitted and currently depressed patients. However, less is known about the effects of MBCT on rumination in chronically and treatment-resistant depressed patients. Typically, questionnaires are used to assess rumination, but this introduces the risk of response and recall biases. A recent systematic review (van der Velden et al. Clinical Psychology Review 37:26–39, 2015) proposes to also include behavioural measures. A behavioural measure that has previously been used to assess rumination in dysphoric students is the breathing focus task (BFT). The first aim of this research was to investigate whether the BFT can be used in chronically, treatment-resistant depressed patients to measure rumination. We therefore administered the BFT in patients with chronic, treatment-resistant depression (n = 73) and compared them with never-depressed controls (n = 106). Patients reported significantly more negative thought intrusions and subsequent sad mood. Secondly we tested in a randomized-controlled trial whether MBCT in combination with treatment-as-usual (MBCT + TAU, n = 26) compared with TAU (n = 36) reduces rumination assessed with the BFT in chronically, treatment-resistant depressed patients. Negative thought intrusions significantly decreased in the MBCT + TAU condition, compared with TAU. The results show that MBCT reduces rumination assessed with the BFT in chronically, treatment-resistant depressed patients.