Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug 12;10(1):22.
doi: 10.1186/s40345-022-00269-1.

The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on rumination and a task-based measure of intrusive thoughts in patients with bipolar disorder

Jelle Lubbers  1   2   3 , Dirk Geurts  4   5 , Imke Hanssen  4   5 , Marloes Huijbers  4   5 , Jan Spijker  4   6   7 , Anne Speckens #  4   5 , Mira Cladder-Micus #  4   6   7
Affiliations

The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on rumination and a task-based measure of intrusive thoughts in patients with bipolar disorder

Jelle Lubbers et al. Int J Bipolar Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Preliminary evidence suggests that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a promising treatment for bipolar disorder (BD). A proposed working mechanism of MBCT in attenuating depressive symptoms is reducing depressive rumination. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effect of MBCT on self-reported trait depressive rumination and an experimental state measure of negative intrusive thoughts in BD patients. Exploratively, we investigated the effect of MBCT on positive rumination and positive intrusive thoughts.

Methods: The study population consisted of a subsample of bipolar type I or II patients participating in a multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing MBCT + treatment as usual (TAU) (N = 25) to TAU alone (N = 24). Trait depressive rumination (RRS brooding subscale) and intrusive thoughts (breathing focus task (BFT)) were assessed at baseline (full subsample) and post-treatment (MBCT + TAU; n = 15, TAU; n = 15). During the BFT, participants were asked to report negative, positive and neutral intrusive thoughts while focusing on their breathing.

Results: Compared to TAU alone, MBCT + TAU resulted in a significant pre- to post-treatment reduction of trait depressive rumination (R2 = .16, F(1, 27) = 5.15, p = 0.031; medium effect size (f2 = 0.19)) and negative intrusive thoughts on the BFT (R2 = .15, F(1, 28) = 4.88, p = 0.036; medium effect size (f2 = 0.17)). MBCT did not significantly change positive rumination or positive intrusive thoughts.

Conclusions: MBCT might be a helpful additional intervention to reduce depressive rumination in BD which might reduce risk of depressive relapse or recurrence. Considering the preliminary nature of our findings, future research should replicate our findings and explore whether this reduction in rumination following MBCT indeed mediates a reduction in depressive symptoms and relapse or recurrence in BD.

Keywords: Bipolar disorder; Breathing focus task; Depressive rumination; Intrusive thoughts; Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy; Positive rumination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

IH and MH (mindfulness teachers), AS (professor/psychiatrist), DG (psychiatrist/researcher) and JL (researcher) all work at the Radboudumc Centre for Mindfulness.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on trait depressive rumination over time
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on negative intrusive thoughts over time
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Akkerhuis GW, Vertaling IDS. Utrecht. The Netherlands: HC Rümke Groep; 1997.
    1. Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Flynn M, Liu RT, Grant DA, Jager-Hyman S, et al. Self-focused cognitive styles and bipolar spectrum disorders: concurrent and prospective associations. Int J Cogn Ther. 2009;2(4):354–372. doi: 10.1521/ijct.2009.2.4.354. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Association AP. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, DSM-5.(2013) Arlington. VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.
    1. Borkovec TD, Robinson E, Pruzinsky T, DePree JA. Preliminary exploration of worry: some characteristics and processes. Behav Res Ther. 1983;21(1):9–16. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(83)90121-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chu C-S, Stubbs B, Chen T-Y, Tang C-H, Li D-J, Yang W-C, et al. The effectiveness of adjunct mindfulness-based intervention in treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2018;225:234–245. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.08.025. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources