Mindful Self-Compassion for Anxiety Disorders and Depression

Major Depressive Disorder Clinical Trial

Official title: Mindful Self-Compassion for Anxiety Disorders and Depression

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

The study will compare 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion training, compared to a control group that does not receive the intervention, on anxiety and depression symptom severity in patients with diagnosed anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder) or major depressive disorder.

Clinical Trial Description

Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, and depressive disorders result in significant distress, impairment in social and occupational functioning and increased risk for suicide. While there are medication and psychotherapy treatment options, they can sometimes be difficult to access and may be ineffective for a proportion of the population. Also, many patients are reluctant to take psychiatric medication, and many prefer to avoid psychiatric care altogether due to stigma or distrust of medical care settings such as a psychiatry clinic. Mindfulness meditation training can be provided outside of a medical care setting and may be more acceptable and feasible for some patients.

One way that mindfulness meditation may provide unique benefits for anxiety and depression is through decreasing self-judgment and increasing self-compassion. Research has shown that people with anxiety disorders, for example, have lower levels of self-compassion than people without anxiety. This is consistent with theories about the development and phenomenology of anxiety disorders, which are characterized as having high levels of self-criticism. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to improve self-compassion and self-acceptance.

In this study, patients with anxiety disorders or depression will be randomized to either an 8-week class called Mindful Self-Compassion training or a group that does not receive treatment. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Agoraphobia
• Anxiety Disorders
• Depressive Disorder
• Depressive Disorder, Major
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Phobia, Social
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Social Phobia

• NCT number: NCT05671419
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Georgetown University
• Contact: Charisma, Study Coordinator
• Phone: 202-687-7283
• Email: anxietyresearch@georgetown.edu
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 16, 2022
• Completion date: July 2026