MBSR has increased in popularity as treatment for patients with eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Boston University

- Medical students
- Patients with eating disorders
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients
- Trauma-exposed women
- Post-treatment breast cancer patients 
- LGBTQIA+ Individuals
- Patients with depression and anxiety

Populations that May Benefit from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Mindfulness interventions have been shown to be beneficial for those suffering with eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa.

Mindfulness for patients with eating disorders

Slyter, M. (2012). Treating Eating Disorders With the Buddhist Tradition of Mindfulness. counseling.org. https://www.counseling.org/Resources/Library/VISTAS/vistas12/Article_32.pdf. 

Treating Eating Disorders With the Buddhist Tradition of Mindfulness

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for patients with eating disorders

Individuals with mild/moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been reported to experience twice as much pain and sleep problems than other neurological patients. This is also accompanied by the risk of behavioral problems, mental illnesses, alcohol and drug use, and criminal behavior that is typically seen with brain injury patients. 

Use of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction with Traumatic Brain Injury patients

Mindfulness-based stress reduction can be beneficial for medical students.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Medical Students

Past studies have explored how Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can improve health and trauma-related symptoms, including stress, anxiety, and depression, in trauma-exposed women.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Trauma-Exposed Women

After/during breast cancer, affected patients often demonstrate many different psychological/physical symptoms as a result of the duress of treatment and the illness. Some of these symptoms include fatigue, depression, anxiety, lack of appetite, etc., and these symptoms often form clusters. MBSR can be used to treat these symptoms/clusters in post-treatment breast cancer patients. 

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Post-treatment Breast Cancer Patients

Introductory  studies have shown that MBSR can be useful in reducing the general and minority-specific stress experienced by queer individuals, especially in regions without sufficient anti-discrimination policies

Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction for LGBTQ+ Individuals

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was one of the original treatments for mental disorders like depression and anxiety.  While CBT is still a very popular treatment, mindfulness-based interventions like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) have been shown to be as effective as CBT, creating the "new" types of treatment.

Mindfulness Interventions in Patients with Depression and Anxiety

DBT has shown effectiveness in treating anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Studies have shown that using dialectical behavior therapy and mindfulness strategies as treatment for these patients is effective in curbing the negative behaviors associated with their respective disorders. Adapting DBT to emphasize the causal factors of these disorders has shown to be more effective than the use of standard DBT.


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