Past Issues

Objectives: We conducted the study to examine the benefi cial effect of mindfulness training (body scan) on improving suicide risk of depressive military psychiatry inpatients, and to understand how other psychiatry factors can mediate it. Methods: We recruited 28 military psychiatry inpatients with depressive symptoms (male: female = 22: 6) and divided them into groups A and B of their own will. The former group received a mindfulness body-scan training following a 10-minute coaching video, and the latter took their original regular treatment during the fi rst week and then received the treatment during following week. The latter group, in reverse, received regular treatment during the fi rst week and the above-noted mindfulness training during the following week. We measured participants’ states of depression, anxiety, and suicide risk at baseline (time 1), the end of the fi rst week (time 2), and the second week (time 3). Results: This study revealed a signifi cant decreased suicide risks (BSRS-5) of both groups (p < 0.001) even after adjusting effects of sex, age, time periods of services, depression (measured by Beck’s Depression Inventory, BDI), anxiety (measured by Beck’s Anxiety Inventory, BAI) and interpersonal needs (measured by Interpersonal Need Questionnaire, INQ), namely, thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. Anxiety was the only signifi cant factor existed in this relationship (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study confi rms the benefi cial effects of short-term mindfulness (body scan) training on suicide risk (BSRS-5) of military personnel with depression. And the effect of anxiety is parallel to the above-noted effect. The longer training and further following studies of mindfulness in the future are warranted.