Are there risks associated with using mindfulness in the treatment of psychopathology

Are there risks associated with using mindfulness in the treatment of psychopathology? Mindfulness is a form of meditation that derives from Buddhist practice. It is the process of engaging a full, direct and active awareness of experienced phenomena that is spiritual in aspect and that is maintained from one moment to the next. Mindfulness is arguably one of the fastest growing areas of psychological empirical inquiry. For example, approximately 600 scientific papers were published on the topic in 2013 compared with just 50 scientific papers concerning mindfulness published in 2003 [1]. Over 70% of general practitioners in the UK now believe that mindfulness/meditation can be beneficial for patients with psychiatric disorders, and 20% of UK general practitioners are currently able to access mindfulness treatments for their patients [2]. Although interest and research into the utility of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) has significantly increased in recent years, the only psychiatric disorder for which both the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the American Psychiatric Association currently advocate mindfulness as a therapeutic intervention is recurrent depression in adults [1]. Despite this, MBIs are presently used as techniques for treating and/or improving a wide range of mental health issues within multiple applied settings (e.g., educational, developmental, forensic, clinical, occupational, military, medical, etc.) [3]. Recently, the present authors argued that the rapidity at which mindfulness was being operationalized within applied psychological domains may compromise the long-term efficacy and credibility of MBIs as well as the need to ensure that they are safely administered to serviceusers [4]. Based on empirical research findings and established practice guidelines outlined in the traditional meditation literature, it is timely to discuss and evaluate whether there are risks associated with utilizing MBIs as psychopathology treatments.