Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) alleviates depressive symptoms in women with fibromyalgia. In a randomized controlled trial, 91 women with fibromyalgia were assigned to either an 8-week MBSR program or a waiting-list control group. Depressive symptoms, measured by the Beck Depression Inventory at baseline, immediately after the program, and at a 2-month follow-up, improved significantly more in the treatment group than in the control group over the three assessments. The results suggest that this meditation-based intervention can reduce depressive symptoms in this patient population.
An eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, combined with a four-month maintenance period, improved psychological distress and well-being in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at six months, but did not affect RA disease activity. At two months, no differences were observed between the MBSR group and the waitlist control group. At six months, psychological distress decreased by 35% in the MBSR group, and improvements in well-being were significant. Changes in depressive symptoms and mindfulness were marginally significant. The intervention had no impact on RA disease activity as measured by the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints.