MINDFULNESS IN HEALTH

That this House believes that all adults with a history of depression should have access to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) because it halves risk of depressive relapse and can reduce health care utilisation and it is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); notes that despite NICE guidance access to MBCT for depression is very patchy and not available at all in some areas; highlights that prevention of depressive relapse through MBCT is particularly pertinent as up to 15 per cent of the population will experience depression during their lifetime; further notes that the World Health Organisation expects depression to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide by 2020; further notes that at least 50 per cent of people with a history of depression have more than one episode and depression costs the UK economy more than £9 billion a year in lost earnings; recognises that there is strong evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for other health conditions, in particular for reducing anxiety and depression for people living with cancer and for helping people to cope better with chronic pain; and calls on the Government to support increased availability to MBCT for people living with depression and to ensure further research funding is made available in areas where mindfulness-based interventions are showing promise for other long-term health conditions.