The University of Cambridge is launching a new study into the effectiveness of mindfulness as a means of preventing depression. Mindfulness is a type of meditation which was originally developed to help patients who suffered with chronic pain conditions, but has since been recognised and clinically proven as a way of helping people deal with depression, anxiety and stress.

From October, undergraduates and postgraduates will be able to register for a free eight week programme called ‘Mindfulness Skills for Students’, which has been adapted from the book Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World, written by Mark Williams and Danny Penman.

Students who register will be split into two groups. The first group will receive the course this year, the other group in twelve months’ time. This means that some final year students may not be able to take part in the study if they are randomly placed in the second group.

Participants will be required to attend eight mindfulness sessions, with home reading and practice required as part of the course. Students will be asked to record their experiences through three online questionnaires. Those who take part in the Lent and Easter sessions will also be asked to download a smartphone app, which will send them notifications to record their experiences at certain points over the course of the term.

The app will automatically record the physical activity and sleep patterns of participants in order to measure to the extent to which students’ routines are disrupted during exam term.

The programme is part of an academic study being funded by the university’s Vice-Chancellor’s Endowment Fund. The study is not part of the regular services offered by the University Counselling Service, but is being rolled out as a part of efforts to improve mental health provision in Cambridge. The University says that this is an opportunity to for students to secure a guaranteed place on a mindfulness course within the next twelve months, which will operate in future with a waiting list.

Regular support will continue to be offered through the University Counselling Service, one of the best funded facilities of its kind in the country. The UCS provides counsellors and mental health experts in addition to the provision made available by colleges, such as nurses and chaplains. In the past year, 1,500 Cambridge students received counselling, which is about one twelfth of the student population. UCS and college services will be unaffected by the study.

It is thought that this new ‘Mindfulness Skills for Students’ programme will be the largest programme of its type in any UK university.

@PeterMLW