Be Mindful

The Mental Health Foundation is leading, Be Mindful, a campaign to raise awareness about the benefits of mindfulness.

Mindfulness meditation helps people change the way they think, feel and act. It helps them to break free from a downward spiral of negative thought and action, and enables them to make positive choices that support their wellbeing.

Research shows that Mindfulness can help with:

• recurrent depression

• anxiety disorders

• addictive behaviour

• stress

• chronic pain

• plus more mental and physical problems.

Despite the fact that 72% of GPs think mindfulness meditation would benefit the mental health of their patients, just 1 in 5 have access to Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a NICE approved treatment based on meditation techniques.

The Mental Health Foundation is calling for the NICE clinical guidelines for depression to be fully implemented, and for all patients with recurrent depression to be offered MBCT.

The treatment consists of an eight week course in mindfulness meditation, alongside elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and yoga.