Effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions in reducing depressive symptoms across mental disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Author: Ekin Alkan1, Geetanjali Kumar1, Shreya Ravichandran1, Samiksha Rakesh Kaushal1, Gonzalo Salazar-de-Pablo2, Livia Alerci3, Joelle Michaud-Feinberg4, Luis Gutiérrez-Rojas5, Carline Zorzi3, Paul Klauser6, Philippe Golay7, Ueli Kramer8, Luis Alameda9
Affiliation:
1 Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
2 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
3 TiPP Program Department of Psychiatry, Service of General Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
4 TiPP Program Department of Psychiatry, Service of General Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; Institute of Psychotherapy, General Psychiatry Service, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, and University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
5 Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatry and Neurosciences Research Group (CTS-549), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
6 Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and the University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Service of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and the University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
7 TiPP Program Department of Psychiatry, Service of General Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; La Source School of Nursing, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Av. Vinet 30, Lausanne.
8 Institute of Psychotherapy, General Psychiatry Service, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, and University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
9 Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Departamento de Psiquiatría, Centro Investigación Biomedica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; TiPP Program Department of Psychiatry, Service of General Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: laluisalameda@gmail.com.
Conference/Journal: Psychiatry Res
Date published: 2025 Mar 30
Other: Volume ID: 348 , Pages: 116473 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116473. , Word Count: 207

Mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly recognised for their efficacy in treating depressive disorders. Depressive symptoms are prevalent across various disorders and can significantly impact outcomes, therefore being an important transdiagnostic target. Multiple randomized controlled Trials (RCTs) have explored this question in discrete disorders; however, evidence has never been meta-analysed transdiagnostically. The Prospero-registered (CRD42022352046) systematic review has been conducted on EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsychINFO using terms related to Randomised controlled trials, mindfulness and depression in clinical samples aged between 18 and 65. Random-effects models were performed to assess the effectiveness of MBIs, including Mindfulness based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), on depressive symptoms transdiagnostically. We conducted sensitivity, heterogeneity analyses, publication bias assessments, meta-regressions and assessed quality. Thirty-five studies, including participants from 12 different diagnostic categories, were included. The results revealed that MBCT, ACT, DBT and others are efficacious in treating depressive symptoms across psychiatric diagnoses compared to active control conditions, all with significant effect sizes. MBIs are effective in reducing depressive symptoms across psychiatric disorders. They should be considered as a potential cost-effective tool to be systematically implemented, not only in those with depression but across mental health disorders.

Keywords: Depressive symptoms; Mindfulness; Mindfulness-based treatments; Psychiatric disorders; Transdiagnostic.

PMID: 40187061 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116473

BACK

Copyright © 2004-2025 Qigong Institute. All rights reserved.