While mental illness has been greatly unattended by mainstream media over the course of years, only recently gaining wider attention as actual conditions that can threaten life due to chemical problems, researchers have always sought to create better depression treatments for those suffering from this ailment.
Last year, the death of beloved actor Robin Williams from suicide following months of depression shocked the world, as he was known as one of the liveliest people in Hollywood, giving much more media coverage and attention to what's growingly being considered one of the most serious mental illnesses, and there's now a new depression treatment to keep in mind as well.
The study behind the new depression treatment is entitled "Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared with maintenance antidepressant treatment in the prevention of depressive relapse or recurrence (PREVENT): a randomized controlled trial" and was published recently in medical journal The Lancet, from joint research between universities.
According to The Washington Post, researchers created the new depression treatment in a study that involved 424 adults (average age, 50) who had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder in their lives but were currently in remission while taking antidepressants.
In the new depression treatment, patients were randomly assigned to get off antidepressants and be a part of cognitive therapy classes based on mindfulness - there was a study group and another one that was kept on antidepressants to watch the results on both of them.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a group-based approach that combines mindful meditation with cognitive therapy. It was developed to help those with recurrent depression learn the skills to recognize and respond well to thoughts and feelings of relapse that could lead them to a new bout.
Yahoo! Health reports that the study proved that, for those with a history of depression, MBCT was as effective as taking maintenance antidepressants, without the chemical imbalances in the body that medications could foster.
Ultimately, this provides a new depression treatment for those whose bodies don't respond well to medication.
