Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for recurring depression in older people: A qualitative study

Abstract

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a meditation-based intervention designed to reduce recurrence in people with histories of relapsing unipolar major depression. MBCT is an eight-session course delivered to groups of participants who are currently not (or only mildly) depressed. We sought to determine whether MBCT is suitable for older people, and what modifications they may require. We recruited 38 participants aged over 65, of whom 30 completed an MBCT course. Their responses at assessment, post-course and one-year follow-up interviews, plus comments at three-monthly ‘reunion’ meetings, provided data for thematic analysis. Main themes emerging for participants as a group are considered, as are individuals’ understandings and uses of MBCT, and how these developed during and following the course. We found MBCT promising as a cost-effective addition to clinicians’ repertoire for addressing depression in old age, and identified issues for further research. Participants’ comments indicated that they considered MBCT a helpful intervention for older sufferers from recurring depression.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr John Teasdale, formerly of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK and his collaborators Drs Mark Williams and Zindel Segal for support. We thank Lancashire Care NHS Trust for funding this study. Anne Hall, Chartered Physiotherapist, provided helpful guidance regarding mindful stretching exercises.

Notes

Note

1.  Dr John Teasdale, personal communication to first author, December 2002; Dr Maura Kenny (research presentation, Merton College, Oxford, 5.1.2006).