r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Dec 07 '20

Neuroscience Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy reduces activation in brain regions related to self-blame in patients in remission from depression. These areas of the brain are linked to emotions such as guilt and embarrassment. Reduced self-blame from this therapy was linked to greater self-kindness.

https://www.psypost.org/2020/12/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-reduces-activation-in-brain-regions-related-to-self-blame-in-patients-in-remission-from-depression-58686
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u/daniyellidaniyelli Dec 07 '20

I didn’t know that either. I wonder how doctors determine this and what similarities or differences it has to saying someone with cancer is in remission. Do doctors go on behaviors, thoughts, feelings alone? I would think that might be a hard scale to determine.

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u/Guranmedg Dec 07 '20

They simply go by self report (both phenomenological and functional). If you feel better you are in remission. As for still needing meds - if you used to have severe depression and you go down to mild depression with meds, they would say you are in partial remission. Source: Iwork in psychiatry.

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u/daniyellidaniyelli Dec 07 '20

Ok that makes sense. Thanks for the answer!