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Mechanisms and predictors of treatment response to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in the treatment of recurrent depression

Talk by Anne Maj van der Velden, Dept. of Clinical Medicine

Info about event

Time

Tuesday 21 March 2017,  at 11:00 - 13:00

Location

IMC Meeting Room, Jens Chr. Skous Vej 4, Building 1483-312

Organizer

AMVDV

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent and debilitating affective disorders and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Much of the burden of depression is a consequence of MDD tending to take a recurrent course. Hence optimizing preventative treatments for recurrence of depression is a high priority within the field of mental field.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an effective treatment for prevention of relapse risk amongst individuals with a history of recurrent MDD. MBCT is recommended by the Danish Health Authority 'Sundhedsstyrelsen', and by the 'National Institute for Clinical and Health Excellence (NICE)', as preventative treatment for recurrent depression. However, only about half experience sustained remission following MBCT. To improve clinical outcomes, we need to identify markers to speak to which individuals will demonstrate long-term benefit from MBCT treatment and identify key therapeutic mechanisms of change.

In this talk, I will adress the questions of mechanisms of change and predictive markers and present the protocol of an interdisciplinary PhD project spanning neuro-imaging, self-report, qualitative interviews, demografic variables and gene and protein expression measures. I will discuss some of the main methodological challenges and include samples of the tasks to be employed, with the aim of generating discussion and helpful suggestions for further development.

 

Biographical Sketch

Anne Maj van der Velden is based at Interacting Minds Center (IMC) and co-affiliated with Danish Mindfulness Center and Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience. She receives supervision from Prof. Andreas Roepstorff (IMC), Prof. Willem Kuyken (Oxford Mindfulness Centre) and assoc. prof. Lone Fjorback (Danish Mindfulness Centre). The project involves international and interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers in Clinical Psychology (Oxford Mindfulness Center; Prof. Willem Kuyken and Dr. Catherine Crane, and the Danish Mindfulness Center; Associate Prof. Lone Fjorback), Genetics (VIA Aarhus, Dr. Jesper Dalsgaard), Mind-Wandering (York University, Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Smallwood and Dr. Beth Jefferies), and Neural Mechanisms and predictors (Dr Gaelle Desbordes, Harvard Medical School, and Prof. Catherine Harmer, Oxford University).

Contact:

PhD student Anne Maj van der Velden, Dept. of Clinical Medicine