Mindful BALANCE (breathe act learn about 'now' care everyday): A pilot project for depressed female adolescents

Major depressive episodes in adolescent females have increased during the past decade, placing them at risk to engage in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, unsafe thoughts, suicidal ideation, and lethal actions. Mindfulness, a tool for stress management, is underutilized.

Mindful BALANCE (Breathe Act Learn About 'Now' Care Everyday), a group therapy pilot program introduced a variety of mindfulness activities. The extended mindfulness followed the Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment (COPE), a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills Building (CBSB) Healthy Lifestyle program. The pilot program was offered in an outpatient mental health department for 7 weeks.

Mindful BALANCE is a feasible program as an adjunct to individualized psychotherapy. Six subjects engaged without absence with a completion rate of 83%. Six subjects had pre- and post-scores for depression and anxiety decrease. Mindfulness practice was reported to decrease the perception of stress.

Mindful BALANCE decreased perceived depression and anxiety symptoms while positively impacting healthy activities in adolescent females. Further research is necessary to readdress feasibility and extended mindfulness components in improving global well-being and diminishing suicide risk.