Mindfulness: an effective mental health treatment but not a panacea

Mindfulness: an effective mental health treatment but not a panacea It’s cheap with a wide range of health benefits – but there’s a shortage of teachers and NHS provision is patchy

It may be an ancient Buddhist practice, co-opted and misrepresented by celebrity practitioners, but scientists and health practitioners have found that mindfulness has specific benefits for mental health patients. The medical profession, too, is beginning to take it seriously.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Florian Ruths explains why: “MBCT [mindfulness based cognitive therapy] is a powerful intervention –it isn’t fluffy or alternative. The MBCT course is based on solid scientific research, and Nice [the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] has recommended it since 2005 for keeping patients with recurrent depressive vulnerability depression-free.” Continue reading... The Guardian