There is strong evidence to suggest that MBCT is highly effective in preventing relapse into depression. In early clinical trials, the relapse rate for MBCT course participants was 50%, compared to an 80% relapse rate for people coming off antidepressants.

Another study by Teasdale et al, 2000, showed that MCBT substantially reduced the risk of relapse in those who had three or more previous episodes of depression (from 66% to 37%). These findings were replicated in a study by Ma and Teasdale in 2004, where MCBT reduced the rate of relapse from 78% to 36% in patients who had experienced three or more episodes of depression. The Centre for Suicide Research at the University of Oxford is currently piloting the use of MBCT with people who have recovered from a suicidal crisis in order to assess the efficacy of MBCT for those patients.

A major study from the University of Exeter in 2008 showed that MBCT proved as effective as anti-depressants in preventing a relapse into depression, and more effective at enhancing peoples' quality of life. The study also showed MBCT to be as cost-effective as prescription drugs in helping people with a history of depression stay well long-term.

Clinical Research Papers on use of MBCT

Teasdale, J.D., Segal, Z.V., Williams, J.M.G., Ridgeway, V., Soulsby, J., & Lau, M. (2000). Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. (PDF) Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 615-623.

Teasdale, J.D., Moore, R.G., Hayhurst, H., Pope, M., Williams, S. & Segal, Z.V. (2002). Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 278-287.

Ma, S.H., & Teasdale, J.D. (2004).  Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: Replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects. (PDF) Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 31-40.

Goldapple, K., Segal, Z., Garson, C., Beiling, P., Lau, M., Kennedy, S. & Mayberg, H. (2004 ).  Modulation of cortical-limbic pathways in major depression: Treatment specific effects of cognitive behavior therapy compared to Paroxetine. (PDF) Archives of General Psychiatry, 61, 34-41.

Lau, M, Bishop, S., Segal, Z.V., Buis, T., Anderson, N. & Carlson, L. Shapiro, S., Carmody, J., Abbey, S. & Devins, J. (2006). The Toronto Mindfulness Scale: Development and validation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 1445-1467.

Segal, Z.V., Kennedy, S., Gemar, M., Hood, K., Pedersen, R., & Buis, T. (2006). Cognitive reactivity to sad mood provocation and the prediction of depressive relapse. (PDF) Archives of General Psychiatry, 63, 750-755.

Kuyken W, Byford S, Taylor RS, Watkins E, Holden E, White K, Barrett B, Byng R, Evans A, Mullan E, Teasdale JD. (2008). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to prevent relapse in recurrent depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76, 966-78.

Farb, N., Segal, Z., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D. & Anderson, A. (2007). Mindfulness training reveals dissociable neural modes of self-reference. Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2, 313-322.

Miklowitz, D. Alatiq, Y., Goodwin, G., Geddes, J., Dimidjian, S., Hauser, M., & Williams, M (2009). A pilot study of Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for bipolar disorder. Internation Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 4, 373-382.

Bondolfi, G., Jermann, F., Van der Linden, M., Gex_Fabry, M., Bizzini, L., Weber Rouget, B., Myers-Arrazola, L., Gonzalez, C., Segal, Z., Aubry, J.M. & Bertschy, G. (in press). Depression relapse prophylaxis with Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Replication and extension in a French speaking sample. Journal of Affective Disorders.

Farb, N. Anderson, A., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D. & Segal, Z.V. (in press). Mindfulness training alters neural response to sad mood provocation in a mixed clinical sample. Emotion.

Fresco, D., Moore, M. van Dulmen, M., Segal, Z., Ma, H., Teasdale, J. & Williams, M. (2007). Initial psychometric properties of the Wider Experiences Questionnaire. (PDF) Behavior Therapy, 38, 234-46