Mindfulness

Depression affects one in 10 people a year, with more than half of those experiencing more than one episode.

A course of which typically lasts for eight weeks, combines meditation with cognitive behaviour therapy and yoga.

It is designed to help the patient develop a healthier, more accepting relationship with their thoughts and feelings.

Mindfulness-based therapy could be helping to prevent thousands of people from relapsing into depression every year.

It is estimated in the UK  prescriptions for antidepressants have soared in recent years, reaching 36 million in 2008.

But the report finds 75% of GPs have prescribed medication to people with long-term depression believing that another treatment - often less readily available - would be more appropriate.

The National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended MBCT for recurrent depression since 2004.

Mindfulness-based therapy could be helping to prevent thousands of people from relapsing into depression, every year.

MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY
Designed to help people who suffer repeated bouts of depression
Blends cognitive behaviour therapy with techniques to raise awareness of one's body and mind
Encourages people to accept their thoughts and feelings, instead of building them up and using them to beat themselves over the head
People are taught that many of their usual reactions are automatic, destructive and lead to a state of "brooding recrimination"
Usually consists of eight weekly classes plus "homework" assignments
Patients seen between bouts of depression showed meditation to have powerful effects on health.

MBCT has been linked to increased activity in the pre-frontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with positive emotion.

Studies have also shown that areas of the brain linked to emotional regulation are larger in people who have meditated regularly for five years.

The report also says MBCT can help treat a range of other conditions, such as eating disorders, anxiety problems and physical problems associated with cancer and HIV.




Story from BBC NEWS: