An estimated twenty-five percent of individuals across the world develop one or more mental or behavioral disorders at some stage in life. Depressive illnesses have become one of the major such disorders in modern times. More than 120 million people currently suffer from depression. Although the economic cost for the treatment of this disorder is high, the cost in human suffering is even beyond estimation. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most of the patients with this disease.
A number of treatment modalities have been applied to the patients with depression and their efficacies have been extensively studied. It is now generally believed that antidepressant medications, short-term psychotherapies, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy, and a combination of the two have proven effective for depression. The evidence regarding prevention of depression from happening or recurring, however, is less conclusive.
This paper will focus on the discussion of one psychotherapeutic approach that incorporates Buddhist mindfulness meditation in the treatment, namely the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). The paper will also propose a new model, named Buddhism-informed cognitive-behavioral therapy, which integrates other Buddhist concepts and practices into MBCT. It is my hope that this new psychotherapeutic approach will be effective not only in the treatment but also prevention of depression so that more human suffering can be alleviated.
