Implications
The implications of this review can have significant effects on the way that mindfulness is viewed within the psychological community. Specifically, it is hoped that this review will be a reminder of the basis of mindfulness in Eastern philosophy. Particularly, since many practitioners use mindfulness-based applications in their work with clientele the researcher felt that it would be important to elucidate on its roots in Eastern philosophy. Perhaps this will assist mental health practitioners in using some of the theoretical teachings in Eastern philosophy when working with clientele, such as explaining that mindfulness has a goal of bettering the lives of human beings. As well, this review can help to further reveal that the specific populations that mindfulness-based interventions would be useful in applying. Particularly, the researcher is hopeful that this review will help clinicians to understand that mindfulness is most useful in preventing relapse in individuals experiencing chronic, severe forms in which depressive bouts take place on a recurring basis. This review has also demonstrated the usefulness of mindfulness-based interventions in individuals experiencing current symptoms of depression.
As well, the researcher is hopeful that this review has demonstrated gaps existing in research on mindfulness-based interventions to depression. Particularly, there has been a lack of research on mindfulness-based interventions in individuals experiencing current episodes of depression. This researcher of this review demonstrated the need for this area of enquiry to be examined further in subsequent research. Also, the researcher is hopeful that the study proposed in this research study will spawn subsequent research studies. Namely, if this study is undertaken, then new themes and ideas may emerge from it which can pose new theories to be examined.
Recommendations
Based on the sparseness of literature pertaining to current episodic depressive treatment with mindfulness, it is useful to examine this subject area further. Namely, the researcher encourages that that this topic area be studied more with usage of the proposed study in this review. Furthermore, mental health practitioners should continually strive to understand how mindfulness-based interventions can be applied to individuals with depression. The researcher suggests that it is also important for mental health professionals to understand the roots of mindfulness in Eastern philosophy to most effectively implement this tool with clients. Furthermore, the researcher recommends that research continue to be undertaken to specifically understand mindfulness-based interventions to individuals with current depressive episodes. It is important to continue to examine this so that depressive relapse can be prevented in addition to current symptomatology reduction occurring.
Final Word and Conclusion
In sum, this review has examined the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions in treatment of depression. Etiological origins of mindfulness in Eastern philosophy have been examined. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of efficacy and criticisms of mindfulness intervention usage has been undertaken. It is important to this topic area since so many individuals are afflicted with this mental health condition contemporarily in society. Mindfulness is a particularly beneficial modality in treatment in that it permits compassion of the self and greater society to occur. The researcher is hopeful that this area of research continues to be studied so that mental health practitioners continue to understand how it can most effectively be applied in depressed clients to reduce their proclivity to relapse. Also, this review has helped to show the utility of a personal practice in mindfulness for benefits to be observed in clients. Overall, the researcher is hopeful that this area of enquiry continues to be studied so that individuals can live a more content life in which they learn to cope with their depressive symptoms in a more compassionate way.
