Mindfulness, Group Therapy and Psychosis; Training Decreases Anxiety and Depression

Mindfulness, Group Therapy and Psychosis; Training Decreases Anxiety and Depression in Outpatients With a Psychotic Disorder in a Non-Randomized Within Group Comparison

The objective of this non-randomized, within-group comparison was to evaluate the addition of mindfulness as a new technique in an outpatient group therapy program for participants diagnosed with a psychotic spectrum disorder, alongside of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), at admission and discharge. The first experiment compared scores of those who received mindfulness training plus standard psychiatric treatment or treatment as usual (TAU) against those who received TAU. The second experiment compared age using matched scores from participants who received mindfulness training plus TAU. Participants attended group therapy for a five-week minimum, and were taught the mindfulness practices of breath, acceptance, observation, remaining non-judgmental, and letting go.

Inclusion Criteria:

• All Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Fifth edition, (DSM-5) diagnoses that included a psychosis spectrum disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

• those lacking symptoms of psychosis