Combining Emotion Regulation and Mindfulness Skills for Preventing Depression Relapse

In the present study researchers aim to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention combining emotion regulation and mindfulness skills in a single 10-week program. A total of 75 individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis in complete or partial remission participated in this randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing an intervention including emotion regulation and mindfulness skills (ER+M) with a psychoeducative program. After treatment, participants were followed for a 1-year period. Researchers results indicate that ER+M was not more effective than the treatment used with the control group in preventing depression relapse. Participants allocated to the ER+M group showed a significant decrease on global psychiatric symptoms, whereas those in the control group did not. Further studies are needed in order to better determine the combined effects of mindfulness and behavioral activation.