The effectiveness of MBCT for Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Individuals with Bipolar Disorder (BD) often present associated neurocognitive deficits that adversely influence self-regulation and quality of life. However, mindfulness-based practices are associated with significant improvements in attention, working memory, and emotion regulation. As such, we hypothesized that an intervention such as Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), initially created for the treatment of Depression (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002), would effectively improve self regulation in patients with BD. The following databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles pertaining to MBCT for BD: PubMed, PsychINFO, PsychArticles, and CINAHL, using the keywords: “MBCT and Bipolar Disorder”, “MBCT y Trastorno Bipolar”, and “MBCT y Bipolaridad”. Literature reviews, articles unavailable in English or Spanish, and studies that addressed MBCT for other psychiatric conditions were excluded. Findings from the systematic literature review (n=10) suggest that MBCT is associated to significant improvements in emotional stability, neurocognitive functioning and treatment adherence, particularly in patients with a lifetime history of 12 or more affective episodes.