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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Patients with Suicidal Ideation and Behavior

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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

Abstract

Suicidality is a major health problem worldwide with lifetime prevalence of suicide ideation of up to 33 %. Although a strong relation between suicidality and depression has often been found, research investigating the impact of psychotherapy for depression on suicidal ideation and behavior is limited. Thus, further treatment options are needed. Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a promising treatment approach for preventing recurrent suicidal ideation and behavior. MBCT can be applied to patients with suicidality mostly without special modifications, although some authors suggest putting greater emphasis on patterns of thoughts and feelings that might be associated with suicidal planning, factors that maintain and exacerbate such patterns, and preparation of explicit action plans for suicidal crisis (e.g., safety plan intervention). These issues can be addressed during the entire program when appropriate and might be explicitly deepened in session 6 and 7. Proposed mechanisms of change are reduction of experiential avoidance, change in overgeneral memory, reduction of thought suppression, or fostering of self-compassion. Recent research suggests that MBCT for suicidal ideation and behavior is safe and feasible, although for patients suffering from acute and severe suicidality a psychotherapeutic approach based solely on mindfulness would not be recommended. MBCT for suicidality has been shown to reduce suicidal ideation in patients with chronic depression or residual depressive symptoms. This reduction of suicidality was independent from the impact of changes in depression, rumination, mindfulness skills, and interpersonal problems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

    Thomas Forkmann Ph.D.

  2. Department for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, Bochum, Germany

    Tobias Teismann Ph.D.

  3. Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten/Herdecke, Germany

    Johannes Michalak Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Thomas Forkmann Ph.D.
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  2. Tobias Teismann Ph.D.
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  3. Johannes Michalak Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Thomas Forkmann Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The UCSF Dep.Cent.,Langley Porter Psy.In, University of California, San Franc, San Francisco, California, USA

    Stuart J. Eisendrath

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Forkmann, T., Teismann, T., Michalak, J. (2016). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Patients with Suicidal Ideation and Behavior. In: Eisendrath, S. (eds) Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29866-5_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29866-5_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29864-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29866-5

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