Mindful Self-Compassion for Anxiety Disorders and Depression

NCT ID: NCT05671419

Last Updated: 2025-06-13

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 40 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-01-16
• Study Completion Date: 2026-07-31

Brief Summary

The study will compare 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion training, compared to a control group that does not receive the intervention, on anxiety and depression symptom severity in patients with diagnosed anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder) or major depressive disorder.

Detailed Description

Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, and depressive disorders result in significant distress, impairment in social and occupational functioning and increased risk for suicide. While there are medication and psychotherapy treatment options, they can sometimes be difficult to access and may be ineffective for a proportion of the population. Also, many patients are reluctant to take psychiatric medication, and many prefer to avoid psychiatric care altogether due to stigma or distrust of medical care settings such as a psychiatry clinic. Mindfulness meditation training can be provided outside of a medical care setting and may be more acceptable and feasible for some patients.

One way that mindfulness meditation may provide unique benefits for anxiety and depression is through decreasing self-judgment and increasing self-compassion. Research has shown that people with anxiety disorders, for example, have lower levels of self-compassion than people without anxiety. This is consistent with theories about the development and phenomenology of anxiety disorders, which are characterized as having high levels of self-criticism. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to improve self-compassion and self-acceptance.

In this study, patients with anxiety disorders or depression will be randomized to either an 8-week class called Mindful Self-Compassion training or a group that does not receive treatment.

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders; Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Social Anxiety Disorder; Social Phobia; Panic Disorder; Agoraphobia; Major Depressive Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Mindful Self-Compassion

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is a weekly class given for 8 weeks. The individual classes last about 2 hours each. The class is provided in a group setting.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Mindful Self-Compassion

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The course teaching mindfulness meditation skills relevant to cultivating self-compassion.

Treatment as Usual (TAU)

The TAU arm will not receive the additional treatment from the study. Subjects will receive psychiatric treatment from their usual providers.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Mindful Self-Compassion

The course teaching mindfulness meditation skills relevant to cultivating self-compassion.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Must have a primary anxiety disorder (social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or agoraphobia) or major depressive disorder, current
• Must score low on self-compassion, as measured by the self-compassion scale
• Must understand study procedure and willing to participate in all testing visits, and treatment as assigned
• must be able to give informed consent to the study procedures

Exclusion Criteria

• Comorbid psychiatric disorder other than anxiety or depression, such as psychotic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders (i.e., anorexia and bulimia), bipolar disorder; developmental or organic mental disorders; and current (past 6 months) substance use disorders and current post-traumatic stress disorder as assessed by clinician at screening visit
• A serious medical condition that may result in surgery or hospitalization.
• A history of head trauma causing prolonged loss of consciousness, or ongoing cognitive impairment
• Inability to understand study procedures or informed consent process, or significant personality dysfunction likely to interfere with study participation (assessed during the clinical interview).
• Subjects who will be non-compliant with the study procedures. This may include planned travel out of town.
• Subjects taking some psychiatric medication such as barbiturates or antipsychotics. Sleep medications and some anti-depressants will be allowed, if the subject has been taken at stable dose 8 weeks prior to baseline and the patient plans to continue at the same dose through the trial.
• Concurrent psychotherapy initiated within 1 month of screen interview, or ongoing psychotherapy of any duration directed specifically toward the treatment of anxiety (such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).
• Individuals who have completed a course of MSC or an equivalent meditation training in the last year.
• Individuals reporting significant active suicidal ideation or suicidal behaviors within the past year.
• Individuals with a medical condition (i.e., epilepsy) that may be exacerbated by study treatment, as determined by a study physician or nurse practitioner based on history, physical, and/or labs.
• Adults unable to consent
• Pregnant women
• Prisoners

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 75 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Georgetown University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Elizabeth Hoge

Professor of Psychiatry

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Elizabeth Hoge, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Georgetown University

Locations

Georgetown University Medical Center

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Charisma, Study Coordinator

Role: CONTACT

anxietyresearch@georgetown.edu

202-687-7283

Facility Contacts

Elizabeth Hoge

Role: primary

eah103@georgetown.edu

202-687-7283

Other Identifiers

0005683

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id