RUNNING HEAD: MINDFULNESS AND DEPRESSION

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Course Code: 1009PSY

Course Name: Intro to psychological science and society
Due Date: 7 May 2015
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Assessment Item #: 2

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Course Tutor: Melissa

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Please provide your STUDENT NUMBER: s2943056

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Student Name: Malek Dannaoui

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Acknowledged by: Malek Dannaoui

Date: 6/5/13

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MINDFULLNESS AND DEPRESSION

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Date: 6/5/15

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RUNNING HEAD: MINDFULNESS AND DEPRESSION

How do mindfulness practices improve the mental health of

individuals in treatment?

Malek Dannaoui
Griffith Univerity
Course: 1009PSY
Tutor: Melissa
Tutorial: Wednesday 4-5pm
Due Date: 7th May 2015
Word Count:

RUNNING HEAD: MINDFULNESS AND DEPRESSION

The aim of this essay is to provide an explanation of how self-regulation as a mechanism of mindfulness
works to improve depression, when used as part of a psychological treatment. This essay will cover a
range of aspects related to mindfulness and depression. Firstly theoretical backgrounds are introduced.
This will give an understanding of what depression is using the DSM-5. Following this is a general
understanding of mindfulness as it is defined in mental health treatments. The essay will continue on to
explain how self-regulation as a mechanism of mindfulness works in depression and how this mechanism
is used as part of mindfulness based therapies. Finally two studies are included that will display how this
mechanism self-regulation contributes to the effectiveness in depression.

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. It is the feeling of being extremely unhappy,
miserable or hopeless. Patients with this disorder will often experience deficiency of feelings and are
usually in a state of dissatisfaction. The feelings of low self worth, shame, guilt, negativity about the
future, suicidal thoughts and behaviour are all associated with depression. According to the Diagnostics
and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), to
be diagnosed with a depressive disorder five or more symptoms must be existent during a two-week
period. Additionally there must be an obvious alteration in an individuals behaviour. Symptoms that arise
from a medical condition are invalid in this case. There are many Symptoms of depression it can be either
depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure, hallucinations, depressed mood for most of the day nearly
everyday, observations made by others of change in behaviour, significant weight loss, and excessive
eating just to name a few. There are many different types of depressive disorders ranging from mild to
severe. One form of a mild depressive disorder is Dysthymia, which is a disorder where the individual
loses interest in daily activities, lacks productivity, and has low self-esteem. One of the severe depressive
disorders is Psychotic depression; this disorder has all the regular symptoms of depression plus
experiences delusions or hallucinations (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

MINDFULLNESS AND DEPRESSION

One of the latest developments in treatment has been the development of mindfulness-based therapy. The
perception of mindfulness as a state, trait, process and intervention (Vago & Silbersweig, 2012) has
developed in recent years and has become apart of clinical health and psychology. Mindfulness is referred
to as a form of meditation that incorporates methods of mind and body based training; this allows the
individual to become aware of their own thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations (Bergemann, Siegel,
Belzer, Siegel & Feuille, 2013). Mindfulness is a practice that essentially increases self-awareness. It is
defined as The awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and
non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). Mindfulness
is identified as a method for improving mental health and reducing psychological distress (Bishop et al.,
2004). The most commonly used mindfulness-based interventions are mindfulness based stress reduction
(MBSR) and mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) (Gu, Strauss, Bond & Cavanagh, 2015).
MBSR facilitate adaption to pain in a variety of different illnesses. This particular treatment includes
training of mindfulness in the practice of meditation, yoga and body awareness (Grossman, Niemann,
Schmidt & Walach, 2003). MBCT uses cognitive behaviour therapy alongside with mindfulness
meditation. This aims to change the way that an individual thinks and feels about their experiences,
particularly those that have caused them trauma. This treatment is mainly used to decrease chances of
relapse in depression (Gu, Strauss, Bond & Cavanagh, 2015).

Self-regulation is one of the many mechanisms of mindfulness. The term self-regulation describes the
internal processes that enable a person to complete his or her required goal-directed activities and adapt at
different times and under distinctive conditions. This mechanism is essentially the ability for a person to
act in their long-term best interest. Self-regulation aids the ability to be able to modulate feelings and
thoughts and also the activation of appropriate behavioural patterns, for example attention (Hauke, 2006).
Mindfulness includes self-acceptance which is apart of self-regulating, this involves a nonjudgmental

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concern for the past, present and future aspects of self whether this is good or bad it can reduce the
pressure that one feels. Mindfulness interventions are said to have a positive impact on psychological

health, by facilitating well-being with self-acceptance and enhanced self-regulated functioning (Howell &
Buro, 2010).

Depression involves self-regulators being faulty or impaired. Patients have impairments in mood
regulation, control of unwanted thoughts, ability to restore motivation, and the access to restore needs,
values and feelings (Boekaerts, Pintrich & Zeidner, 2005). The relationship between depression and lack
of self-regulatory function is clear. It can be said that these patience have impairment in most selfregulatory properties (Jimenez, Niles & Park, 2010). Self-regulation of how individuals feel about
themselves is a vital part of everyday behaviour and well-being. In systematic mental training
mindfulness develops self-regulation and therefore assists in well being by improving this main function.
Mindfulness works by self-regulating in order to improve the mental health of patience with depressive
disorders by helping with the reconstructing of this mechanism. In fact this statement is supported in the
literature by Vago & Silbersweig (2012) where they state that mindfulness training improves selfregulatory skills. To expand on this mindfulness based treatment combines training in meditation and
psychoeducation on cognitive processing that administers attention control, the disengagement of
judgemental language processes and experience awareness of the current moment and finally how to
apply these skills and rear away from depressive thoughts hence to self-regulate (Beckerman & Corbett,
2009). For patience with depression undergoing mindfulness-based treatments simply alleviates suffering
associated with this mental health disorder. Particularly for depressive disorders this treatment restores
self-regulation with the positive awareness of mental processes.

A study conducted by Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth & Burney (1985) included patients that experienced chronic
pain. Chronic pain and depression are highly relatable as they commonly occur together. These patients
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took part of a ten-week stress reduction and relaxation program trained with mindfulness meditation. The
treatment effectiveness in this study was successful with patients who experienced chronic pain
displaying a significant reduction in depression as a result of mindfulness and self-regulation. Levels and
feelings of self-esteem were increased with the strategy of self-regulation, mindfulness meditation.
Awareness or mindfulness meditative practices were introduced to self-regulate by consciousness
discipline. It was said that through this type of mental training it was possible to have a better effect than
the new westernised psychological treatments. Positive self-regulation that resulted from mindfulness
based treatment allowed patients to experience a reduced depressive disorder. With patients being able to
self-regulate this either reduced depression symptoms or stabilised mood. The conclusions of this study
were that mindfulness meditation as part of the stress and relaxation program was highly effective to
reduce depression and by an increase of self-regulation.

A second study used Mindfulness based cognitive therapy. This type of therapy is usually used to prevent
the reoccurrence of major depression. Kenny & Williams (2007) used patients who were currently
depressed in this study to explore the success of this particular therapy. The aim of the treatment was to
reduce participants from being vulnerable to future occurrings of depression, by teaching them to
disengage from specific cognitive processes. MBCT taught participants how to improve awareness with
non-judgmental acceptance. Basically participants were being taught to balance out their emotions and
thoughts in order to self-regulate. Additionally participants also became aware of their negative thoughts,
which they learnt to deviate away from, by viewing those thoughts as mental events rather than reality.

In conclusion depression and mindfulness have a strong association for effectiveness. Mindfulness
practices have been evident to help to improve the mental health of individuals with depression. The
mechanism that allows improvement of this particular disorder is self-regulation. Self-regulation allows
patients with depression to be able to focus attention for the purpose of relaxing and calming the mind
and body. This enables them to adjust thoughts and emotions, which in turn decreases the impact of the
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depressive symptoms. Engaging in mindfulness allows the restoration of the previously impaired abilities.
An individual with depression that partakes in treatment allows to self-regulate by improving motivation,
productivity, control of thoughts, and self-acceptance of themselves. The improvement of self-regulation
in depressed individuals is the mechanism for which mindfulness works.

References
Beckerman, N., & Corbett, L. (2009). Mindfulness and Cognitive Therapy in Depression Relapse
Prevention: A Case Study. Clin Soc Work J, 38(2), 217-225. doi:10.1007/s10615-009-0219-z
Boekaerts, M., Pintrich, P., & Zeidner, M. (2005). Handbook of self-regulation. Burlington, MA:
Academic Press.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th
ed.). Washington, DC:
Germer, C., Siegel, R., & Fulton, P. (2005). Mindfulness and psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press.
Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S., & Walach, H. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and
health benefits: a meta-analysis. Focus On Alternative And Complementary Therapies, 8(4), 500-500.
doi:10.1111/j.2042-7166.2003.tb04008.x
Gu, J., Strauss, C., Bond, R., & Cavanagh, K. (2015). How do mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and
mindfulness-based stress reduction improve mental health and wellbeing? A systematic review and metaanalysis of mediation studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 37, 1-12. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2015.01.006
Hauke, G. (2006). Self-regulation and Mindfulness. European Psychotherapy, 6(1), 21-54.

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Howell, A., & Buro, K. (2010). Relations Among Mindfulness, Achievement-Related Self-Regulation,
and Achievement Emotions. Journal Of Happiness Studies, 12(6), 1007-1022. doi:10.1007/s10902-0109241-7
Jimenez, S., Niles, B., & Park, C. (2010). A mindfulness model of affect regulation and depressive
symptoms: Positive emotions, mood regulation expectancies, and self-acceptance as regulatory
mechanisms. Personality And Individual Differences, 49(6), 645-650. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.041
Jimenez, S., Niles, B., & Park, C. (2010). A mindfulness model of affect regulation and depressive
symptoms: Positive emotions, mood regulation expectancies, and self-acceptance as regulatory
mechanisms. Personality And Individual Differences, 49(6), 645-650. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.041
Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L., & Burney, R. (1985). The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the
self-regulation of chronic pain. J Behav Med, 8(2), 163-190. doi:10.1007/bf00845519
Keng, S., Smoski, M., & Robins, C. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of
empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(6), 1041-1056. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006
Kenny, M., & Williams, J. (2007). Treatment-resistant depressed patients show a good response to
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy. Behaviour Research And Therapy, 45(3), 617-625.
doi:10.1016/j.brat.2006.04.008
Rybak, C. (2012). Nurturing Positive Mental Health: Mindfulness for Wellbeing in Counseling.
International Journal For The Advancement Of Counselling, 35(2), 110-119. doi:10.1007/s10447-0129171-7
Vago, D., & Silbersweig, D. (2012). Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a
framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness. Front. Hum. Neurosci., 6.
doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00296
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Xie, J., Zhou, J., Gong, L., Iennaco, J., & Ding, S. (2014). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in the
intervention of psychiatric disorders: A review. International Journal Of Nursing Sciences, 1(2), 232-239.
doi:10.1016/j.ijnss.2014.05.015