In contrast to Baer (2003), Toneatto and Nguyen (2007) focused only on anxiety and depression measures. Although published very recently, this review identified only 15 studies that measured anxiety and depression in patients treated with MBT for a variety of problems, including medical conditions (pain, cancer and heart disease). The study also examined non-clinical populations (i.e., community samples). The authors concluded that MBT does not have reliable effects on anxiety and depression. Our study suggests that this conclusion was premature and unsubstantiated. The authors included only controlled studies, thereby excluding a substantial portion of the MBT research. In addition, it is unclear how many studies were identified, how many were excluded, and for what reasons, because this information was not provided. Furthermore, the authors did not conduct an effect size analysis or apply any other standard meta-analytic procedures. Instead, the conclusion was based solely on a qualitative review of a very small number of studies. Finally, their findings were largely based on patients without anxiety disorders or depression. As our review demonstrated, MBT is most efficacious for reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in populations with mood or anxiety disorders.
