Web-Based Mindfulness Results in Significant Improvement in Depression

by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN

In a recent randomized clinical trial published in JAMA and conducted in primary care and behavioral health clinics at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, from among “460 participants with residual depressive symptoms, those who received an online version of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in addition to usual care had greater reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms, higher rates of remission, and higher levels of quality of life compared with participants who received usual care only.” People living with residual depressive symptoms face gaps in access to in-person care because of costs and a lack of options available outside of major cities. One of the most important implications of this study was that web-based mindfulness interventions have the potential to scale access to those who face gaps, as well as the overall improvements in outcomes for those being tested.

 In this study, the intervention used was a web-based Mindfulness intervention called Mindful Mood Balance (MMB), based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which combines the best practices of cognitive therapy with the tools of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and according to B Grace Bullock at Mindful.org, is designed, “to teach individuals how to better regulate their emotions. Previous studies have found MBCT to be as effective as antidepressant medication in preventing depressive relapse. To date, however, access to the program has been limited largely to those living in large cities. Mindful Mood Balance (MMB) was created to fill the access gap by delivering MBCT online.”