Effect of Mindfulness-based Psychoeducation in Depression

Plain-language summary

Major depression is a mental illness that seriously threatens public health, leading to disability, reduced quality of life, economic burden, and premature death. It is estimated that 18.4% of the world's population lived with depression between 2005 and 2015, and it is projected to be a leading cause of global disease burden by 2030. Major depressive disorder manifests with symptoms such as decreased interest and desire, a depressed mood, increased or decreased sleep and appetite, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, decreased energy, suicidal thoughts and attempts, leading to significant impairment in functioning. Choosing the appropriate treatment for depression and taking measures to improve the individual's functionality quickly, shorten hospital stays, and reduce the number of hospitalizations are crucial. In addition to pharmacological treatment, clinical guidelines recommend the combined use of pharmacological and psychosocial interventions in the treatment of depression. The mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which forms the basis of the psychoeducation planned for this study, was developed as an 8-week group approach. Theoretical studies examining emotion regulation mechanisms have indicated that mindful awareness is a fundamental mechanism for emotion regulation. The literature suggests a negative correlation between mindful awareness and the severity of depressive symptoms and difficulty in emotion regulation. Furthermore, despite numerous descriptive, correlational, and experimental studies on major depression, no studies have been found demonstrating the effect of mindful awareness-based psychoeducation on emotion regulation difficulties, distress tolerance, and symptom severity in patients diagnosed with major depression. This study, therefore, differs from existing research and will make a significant contribution to the literature.

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